Bad Romance
by CrystalBrooke
Summary: AH. Bella is the New Girl. Edward is the school bad boy, with the rumours and reputation to match. Is any of it true? Will Edward's bet wreck everything he didn't even know he wanted? Street races, parties, piercings and a motorbike equals romance?
1. The Edward Cullen

_So here's something new, which I'm kinda sorta excited about. Don't forget to let me know what ya think! lurrve._

_**Bad Romance**_

**Chapter One: The Edward Cullen**

**Bella**

I sighed loudly, and Rosalie threw me a look over her shoulder.

"Bella, if you don't stop sighing and moaning I will actually kill you," she warned, before turning back to the mirror and the foundation she was applying. Not that she needed it; Rosalie had beautiful, clear skin, the kind anyone would envy.

"Yeah, cheer up, Bella," Alice piped up. "It'll be fun once you get there."

Maybe she was right. I felt extremely anti-social, but I knew it was only because it was the first house party I was going to here. I had moved to Fork's High School a week ago, fresh from sunny Arizona, and I had yet to make any kind of impression. People were friendly enough in school, but I knew that if I didn't start attending social events, they'd think I was some sort of reclusive freak.

I was grateful, that Alice had taken pity on me and invited me into her circle of friends. She had approached me on my first day, and had practically announced me as one of her best friends by the end of it. She was just one of those sort of people; she was so easy to get along with, and it was definitely better than being alone all the time in school. I'd been afraid that would happen.

The tinny sound of Jasper's harmonica broke into my thoughts. Rosalie's twin brother was sitting in a pink bean bag chair, looking totally comfortable, playing the instrument he carried around everywhere with him.

Rosalie turned around to glare at him this time. "I'm going to shove that down your throat one day," she threatened.

Jasper snorted, and played a lingering high note, his eyes dancing wickedly.

Rosalie sighed and looked at me. "You've no idea what it's like," she said, shaking her head. "You'd think he'd learn a different tune on the goddamn thing, but no, he plays the same one, over and over until we're all demented. It won't bother you now, but when you start humming it in your sleep…"

Jasper sniggered, and I couldn't help grinning.

I was really enjoying hanging out with Rosalie, Alice and Jasper. I found it easy to get along with each of them, and enjoyed listening in when the teasing started. Alice was forever gossiping and dreaming, Rosalie was down-to-earth and blunt about things, and Jasper was sarcastic and a complete joker. They had accepted me as one of their own straightaway, and I couldn't imagine being friends with any other group of people.

Even though I hadn't been friends with them long, I could totally tell that Alice was crushing on Jasper. She had yet to admit it… but I thought it was pretty obvious. I had to admire her taste; Jasper was gorgeous, with that flop of blonde hair and those blue eyes. And I didn't think Rosalie realised it.

Rosalie was just as blonde and beautiful, and the two of them looked like a movie star couple when they stood next to each other. Alice, on the other hand, was petite with short, spiky black hair, and was totally striking. I thought I would be very neurotic and intimidated, hanging around with such good-looking people, but it never bothered me. They didn't seem to care that I was just average looking, and that was alright with me.

Alice's phone beeped for maybe the millionth time that day.

"Miss Popular," Jasper announced. "Who's texting you now?"

"Jessica," Alice answered, her thumbs flying across the buttons at lightning speed. "She's telling me who's going to this party tonight."

"I hope Emmett Cullen is going," Rosalie said, pouting at herself in the mirror. "He's totally hot, and keeps flirting with me in English."

"He is going," Alice said, her eyes still fixed on the phone screen. "He'd never miss an excuse for a party."

"I can't believe you've been friends with him all this time and you've never once introduced me -"

Rosalie's complaint was cut off by a gasp from Alice, as her phone beeped once again.

"No way!" she squealed.

"What, what, what?" Rosalie demanded, whipping around, her reprimand forgotten.

"Edward Cullen is going."

"_The_ Edward Cullen?!"

"Yep!" Alice said excitedly.

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"Does that mean he got out of prison then?" Alice wondered aloud.

Jasper snorted. "You heard that from Jessica Stanley, and she probably made it up five seconds before she told you it."

"Well then, where's he been all month?" Alice countered, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Sick?" Jasper shrugged, and Alice rolled her eyes. I had noticed she had a tendency for leaning towards the dramatic.

"I heard he got arrested after he was caught motorbike racing in Port Angeles."

"You hear a lot of things, it doesn't mean they're true," Jasper pointed out, and Alice ignored him.

"People, who are we talking about?" I asked, impatiently. They were going on about this guy as though he were a celebrity.

"Didn't I hear he got that scar above his eyebrow from when he was in that street fighting gang?" Rosalie mused, absent-mindedly running a brush through her hair.

Jasper snorted again. "You two gossip too much."

"_Who_ is he?" I tried again, louder this time.

"Edward Cullen is this total hunk," Rosalie said, "but he's such a player, and he's like, dangerous -"

"Oh, please," Jasper groaned.

" - and there's all sorts of rumours about the stuff he gets up to - ooh, if he's going tonight, that means Emmett _definitely_ is! They're brothers," she explained.

"If I could get a sane word in edgeways," Jasper began, but Alice shushed him by flapping her arms; her phone had started ringing.

"Hello? Did you hear it too?! Oh my God…"

Jasper rolled his eyes at me, and I grinned, totally bemused.

"So let me get this straight," I said. "This guy, Edward… he's an illegal racer, he's in a gang, he's been in prison…?"

"And he's hot," Rosalie added. "And he's in a band. He can play piano."

"Anyone can play piano," Jasper grumbled, clearly fed up of talking about Edward Cullen now.

"Well _you_ can't, Jasper, and you can barely even play that stupid harmonica, so shut up," Rosalie retorted.

I started laughing, and Jasper scowled.

"OK, OK, see you later!" Alice tinkled, and hung up the phone. "It's confirmed!" she announced to us. "He'll almost definitely be going to the party."

"Who cares?" Jasper said. "He's a jerk."

"True," Rosalie agreed. "But he's interesting."

Jasper looked as though he disagreed heavily with this statement, but he decided not to say anything. Alice began to depart all the information she had learned over the phone, as Rosalie went back to her makeup and Jasper played his harmonica.

I fiddled with the hem of the expensive-looking dress Rosalie had lent me. The girls had helped me to get ready first, and I thought I looked acceptable enough; my hair was glossy and wavy, and my makeup was applied better than I could have done it myself. The dress I was wearing was dark blue, and I had black peep toe shoes with scary looking heels to match.

"You look fantastic, Bella," Alice had assured me, and I took her word for it, feeling a little less nervous about tonight. At least I looked OK.

"Right, I think I'm ready," Rosalie said, shoving some cosmetics into her handbag.

"Finally," Jasper commented, hauling himself out of the bean bag chair with difficulty. "I was growing myself a beard, you were taking so long."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Amusing. Shall we go then?"

"Yes!" Alice trilled, jumping off the bed and smoothing down the little black dress she was wearing. She had declared herself ready half an hour ago, and Jasper had been ready in ten minutes, so we had just been waiting on Rosalie, which appeared to be the norm. "I can't wait to get a glimpse of Edward Cullen, nobody's seen him around in so long -"

"Oh, not again," Jasper grumbled under his breath, and I smiled.

I honestly hadn't a clue what the big deal about Edward Cullen was. I was curious.

* * *

I had been at the party for over an hour, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was enjoying myself. Alice was flitting around like a butterfly going from flower to flower, introducing me to people, some of whom I vaguely recognised from my classes. I was anxious to get rid of my 'new girl' title as quickly as I could; I hated feeling like I was on display for something.

Jasper separated from us after finding friends of his, introducing them as Peter, Charlotte and Maria. They were all really nice to me, but Alice dragged me off after about five minutes, claiming she was getting me a drink.

"I can't stand that Maria one, she's got nothing but fluff in her head," she muttered, as we walked away.

"It couldn't be anything to do with the way she was flirting with Jasper, could it?" I asked slyly. Maria had laughed at everything that came out of Jasper's mouth, and found any excuse to touch his arm.

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella," Alice said, with disdain. "I don't care who's flirting with Jasper or who isn't."

I felt a bit bad. You could read Alice like a book, and I could see that it had gotten to her. I decided to leave the subject well alone in future.

"Oh, there's Rose," I said, changing the subject. Rosalie was chatting to a complete hunk of a man, who was tall and laced with muscles in every direction.

"Ooh, she's with Emmett," Alice said, now craning her neck as if looking for somebody. "I wonder where Edward is, then?"

We walked up to Emmett and Rosalie, who looked up at us as we approached.

"Hey, Shortie," Emmett said, grinning at Alice.

She huffed. "You know I hate it when you call me that," she gave out, but she was smiling.

"I know, I know," Emmett grinned, "but it suits you so well." His eyes slid over onto me. "Hey, new chick."

I blushed. "Hi," I said, shyly. He seemed to have a constant smirk in his eyes, and he really was incredibly handsome. Rosalie had great taste, too.

"This is Bella," Alice introduced me. "And this is obviously Emmett," she said to me, rolling her eyes.

"The one and only," he said, winking.

After a few minutes of watching Rosalie flirt with him and Alice joke around with him, I decided to go and refill my drink. Emmett was a complete charmer, and he was making me blush so much it was way too embarrassing.

"I'll be back in a minute," I said, and wandered into the kitchen. There was alcohol there, but I didn't bother with it; the last thing I wanted was "_remember when that new girl got drunk and danced all over the table wearing nothing but her underwear_" type stories going around the school.

I was in the middle of pouring a Coke when I heard a sexy male voice behind me.

"Haven't seen you around here before."

I managed to stop myself from tipping my drink over, and turned to see a completely gorgeous guy standing there. He was definitely the best looking guy I had seen so far in Forks; bronze, windswept hair, deep green eyes, a perfectly sculpted face… he was just so… wow.

"Oh, hi," I said, trying to get a grip of myself. I was so prone to embarrassment in these situations.

"What's your name?" he asked, a small smile on his face. He was looking at me with almost a lazy interest… and they had the same kind of smirk in them that I had noticed in Emmett's.

"Bella. Bella Swan. I've just moved here," I blurted, internally groaning. I might as well just sit him down and tell him the rest of my life story now.

"I see," he said, nodding. "Do you like it so far?"

"It's alright," I said, unable to think of anything witty I could say instead. My mind was a complete blank. He really was beyond gorgeousness, and guys like this just twisted my tongue.

I was about to ask him his name, when we were suddenly interrupted.

"Edward, put your eyes back in your head," Emmett boomed, slapping a hand against his back. "This chick is way out of your league."

Edward… _the_ Edward Cullen?

I watched him as he muttered "whatever" and walked away, feeling a definite disappointment. Emmett leaned towards me then, conspiracy style.

"Don't let that brother of mine charm you," he said, his eyes sincere. "I trust you've heard stories about him?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Just a few," I answered carefully.

"Well, that means you haven't heard them all," Emmett said, shaking his head at his brother. "He's a bit of a player. I'm only saying this 'cause you're new, and you're Rosalie and Alice's friend, and I just don't want to see you get screwed around, especially if it's by my own bro. OK?"

"Oh," I replied, kind of touched. "OK. Thanks for looking out for my ass, then."

As gorgeous as Edward was, Emmett probably knew what he was talking about.

"No problemo," Emmett grinned. "I'll always look out for your ass, don't worry. I've never seen an ass quite like it," he joked, and I blushed furiously.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Rosalie said, appearing from nowhere, eyeing both of us suspiciously. I didn't want her thinking I was trying to make moves on the guy she obviously liked, so I hastened to explain what just happened. Rosalie gawked at me with an open mouth, before turning and hitting Emmett on the arm.

"Ouch!" he complained. "What did I do to deserve that?!"

"Edward _freaking_ Cullen tried to chat up Bella, and you scared him off!" Rosalie said, incredulous. "What on earth were you thinking?"

Emmett studied both of us for a minute, and then rolled his eyes. "You girls. The way ye go on, you'd think Edward was some sort of God. Hate to break it to you, but he's just my lazy brother who never cleans his room and cuts himself shaving."

The three of us ended up back in the living room again, joining Alice and Jasper, who was _sans_ Maria all of a sudden.

Alice nudged me in the side, winking. "There's Edward," she stage-whispered, inclining her head in his direction. I looked over, and there he was, draped across a chair, looking completely bored, and utterly gorgeous. It was so hard to look away from him. My heart fluttered when he suddenly looked up and met my gaze, but he looked away again after a moment, disinterestedly. I blushed, dropping my eyes to the floor.

I still couldn't help feeling disappointed that Emmett had interrupted us before. It wasn't often that guys as good looking as Edward tried to chat me up, and what sane girl wouldn't want an Edward Cullen look-alike chatting them up, anyway? I supposed I'd have to get over it.

The rest of the party was quite entertaining. Alice attempted to get Emmett to dish the dirt on his brother, but to no avail. "I don't gossip," Emmett had said, tapping his nose. I had been introduced to a few more people, and I was beginning to feel a little more comfortable with my brand new friends. I hadn't expected it to be this easy for me to make friends, and be so comfortable with them after only a week. I didn't miss Phoenix quite so much now.

Alice declared she was leaving around twelve, and since I was staying at her house, that meant I was going to.

"I have a curfew," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "But my parents promised they'd extend it if I acted responsible for a whole month."

I grinned. "I'll grab our coats."

I left Alice saying goodbye to everyone, and made my way into the dark hallway, looking for our jackets amidst the pile that had been draped over the banister.

"Leaving already?"

I jumped. My head whipped around; Edward Cullen was leaning against the wall, half hidden by shadows, smoking. He was eyeing me speculatively.

"Oh, hi again," I said brightly, cursing my lack of coolness.

Edward took a drag of the cigarette, still gazing at me with those gorgeous green eyes. "You don't have to go yet," he said slowly. "It's not that late. I can take you to a real party. I have a spare helmet."

Ah, so he must be the owner of the large silver motorbike outside. There had been a crowd of admirers around it when we arrived.

I was tempted; he was gorgeous and intriguing, but he probably said the exact same thing to every other girl who had the misfortune of being completely dazzled by him. I didn't want to be another statistic to him, another score on his list.

"I don't know…" I said, trying to buy time to think of a good excuse.

"Well, if it's past your bedtime already, I mean, fair enough," Edward said, shrugging.

"No," I retorted, feeling annoyed. "It's not that -"

"You don't go places with strangers," he suggested, raising an eyebrow. He smirked. "When you stop abiding by your rulebook, let me know. Although, I don't know if I'll be interested then…"

Before I could say a word, he had swaggered out of the front door, and was gone.

I just stood there, slightly shocked, listening to the sound of the motorbike as it sped away from the house.


	2. The Bet

_Duudes. The reviews were frickin unreal, and there was me afraid I wouldn't even get any :D thank youu! Thank you to Jen for embarrassing me in her review (biotch) and to Eimear for complimenting me too much (as usual) :D and to darcyM for just being mega awesome, (and I corrected my spelling mistake, thanks for that :D, stupid spell-check like, grr) and I do wish she had an account ;) haha. Hope you enjoy this chapter too! xOxXxo_

**Chapter Two: The Bet**

**Bella**

The rest of the weekend passed without much excitement. The sleepover at Alice's had been fun; she had talked about Jasper non-stop, and I hadn't been able to help myself in teasing her about him. She was insisting, punctuated with a lot of eye-rolling, that she was not into him; she had known him for years and he was just a friend.

"Just a friend," I said sceptically. "Sure. That's what they all say."

She retaliated by throwing a pillow at me.

I spent Sunday at home, having stilted conversation with Charlie, my dad, and on the phone to my mom. Renee was desperate to know how I was settling in, and I was glad to tell her that I was making friends and getting on fine. Despite never having wanted to move in the first place, I was feeling better about the decision now. I got on well with Charlie; we had never had the kind of relationship where we felt we needed to tell each other everything, so we mostly kept to ourselves, which suited both of us just fine.

Monday meant school, so I drove the rusty old truck Charlie had bought me down to the now almost familiar red brick buildings. I was getting pretty used to the place.

Alice bounced over to me as I was getting out of the truck.

"Hey, Bella!" she chirped. "I was just chatting to Rosalie - how come you never told me Edward Cullen tried to chat you up on Saturday night?!"

"Oh, I thought I did," I frowned. "Yeah. It's not that big a deal though."

"Are you mad?" Alice said, goggling at me. "He acts like none of the girls here are good enough for him, so him chatting you up was like a rare occurrence!"

I shrugged. "Well, Emmett warned me that it wouldn't be a very good idea, and after all the stories you mentioned about him, he's hardly ideal boyfriend material or anything, is he?"

Alice considered that for a moment. "I guess you're right," she nodded. "It probably _wouldn't_ be a great idea, you know - after all, he _was_ rumoured to be in a sex gang."

I smiled, amused, reminding myself never to believe half of the rumours that came out of Alice's mouth.

The day passed by quickly enough; people I recognised from the party struck up conversations before classes, and Emmett Cullen shouted a greeting at me in the middle of a packed corridor. I blushed tomato red, naturally.

Then I walked into Biology, which was the only class where I didn't have any of my friends with me. I sat on my own, as usual, taking out my homework and notes and preparing to be utterly bored. I was regretting taking on this subject; it was too fiddly and complicated for me.

I nearly collapsed with shock, as Edward Cullen suddenly strutted into the classroom.

"Cullen, nice of you to join us after such a long absence," Mr Banner barked, and Edward just smirked, looking like a complete babe in his leather jacket, black skinny jeans, and biker boots. He swaggered down the back of the classroom, and I kept my eyes on the desk in front of me, hoping he wouldn't recognise me. He had been such a patronising jerk on Saturday, and I dreaded to think of the impression I may have left on him.

"Right, people," Mr Banner announced, towards the end of yet another boring class. "You'll need a partner for the next set of modules, and don't get excited, because I've picked them out already."

There was a collective groan from the class.

"But, _sir_ -"

"No buts. You'll take the partner I assign you with, and you'll stick with him or her until the end of the year. End of. Now, Newton… you're with Yorkie…"

Mr Banner read all the pairings from his list, and there was a flurry about the classroom as students were moving seats, grumbling about who they were getting partnered with and such like. My nerves were increasing as my name failed to be called out name after name, and I was trying to keep positive, to think maybe the universe wouldn't be that cruel…

"Swan…"

Oh please, please don't call out his name…

"… you're with Cullen."

Fabulous. Just my luck.

Edward plonked himself in the seat beside me, sighing, and then his eyebrows raised in recognition and surprise.

"I didn't know you were in this class," he said.

"Likewise," I muttered.

He looked hungover; there were bags under his eyes and he was unshaven, but he still somehow managed to look hot in a really scruffy, sexy way.

Mr Banner came around the class to check our homework and give us handouts, and I took out my folder and left it open and waiting on the desk. Edward didn't move, or even look concerned.

I couldn't help the feelings of satisfaction when Mr Banner approved of my homework, and at the sigh of annoyance once he had discovered that Edward had nothing done.

"I want to see it on my desk tomorrow, Cullen," he snapped, before moving on to the next table.

Edward shrugged, not looking at all sorry. "Whatever you say."

I made a little disapproving sniff, and he swung his head in my direction.

"Ooh, little miss Well Done is feeling scandalised at big bad Edward's lack of homework?!" he drawled sarcastically.

"Let me know when you finish puberty, Edward," I retorted, irritated. "Maybe then you'll be mature enough to talk to."

"Let me know when you take off the metal underwear. Maybe then you'll be a lot more _fun_ to talk to."

I looked at him in disgust. "You're such a pig."

"Whatever, sweetheart."

"Don't you call me that, ever."

"What would you like me to call you, then?"

The bell rang suddenly, and I was grateful I could escape. He was so patronising, and he was not impressing me in the slightest.

"Don't call me anything," I replied. "Just stay out of my face."

Edward just sat there as I packed up my books and left, but I was only halfway down the corridor when he called my name, chasing after me.

"Bella!"

"What part of 'stay out of my face' is so difficult -"

"Oh, shut up your pretty little face and listen," Edward interrupted, and I huffed. "I can see through you, Bella."

"What?" I demanded, wondering whether or not he was mad.

"I can see through you, and this little charade you've got going."

"I don't know what the hell you think you're talking about -"

"We both know exactly what I'm talking about. You didn't come out with me Saturday night? Why? Because you're a good little girl. You always do your homework. You get on with the teachers. And I know that if I insulted you, right now, you would not dare to slap me, even though I would really deserve it. But, you know, one day… all these things will build up, and become way too much. You won't want to be the good, nice girl anymore. You'll want to do what _you_ want, instead of what other people think you should do. You're a volcano, Bella, and one day you'll explode. One day, you'll slap me, because I deserve it. And I'll wait for that day, because when you explode… then we'll have some fun."

He winked at me, and I just stared at him blankly.

"Well, that little delusion of yours was fascinating, and it was so nice to get a glimpse of the inner workings of your mind," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "But you're sadly mistaken. I am not a volcano. I am nothing to you, just like you are nothing to me. So I would get over this little fantasy, if I were you."

I turned around and began to walk away from him, conflicted thoughts in my head clamouring for my attention.

"It'll wear you down, Bella!" I heard him call after me. "Following the rulebook is never any fun! When you want to have fun, let me know!"

I ignored him. I still couldn't understand what the big fuss over him was all about. He was a complete idiot.

* * *

**Edward**

I breathed out a sigh of relief as I climbed into Emmett's jeep; school was finally over for the day. I hated it; I hated the teachers, I hated the pupils… I was too good for that school. I asked questions the lecturers didn't know the answers to, and I thought it was a complete waste of my time. My mom had been upset about my poor attendance, so my dad had ended up talking me into it - just stick it out for the rest of the year, for your mother's sake.

The thought sucked, but I was comforted by the fact that by this time next year, I'd be out of school and doing what I wanted to do, and not what was expected of me.

I watched my brother flirting with one of the hottest blondes in school, and tapped my foot impatiently. Emmett was way more social than I cared to be. My eyes wandered over to the blonde's friends, who were waiting for her, and I immediately recognised Bella.

I snorted to myself. Goody two shoes little Bella. She had surprised me when she turned me down Saturday… girls just didn't do that to me. I was furious with Emmett for intervening when he did, but she could make her own decisions. And I could tell she had been tempted, momentarily, to come with me.

But because she had been told what not to do, that's what she did.

I couldn't stand girls like that.

I wasn't really that interested in Bella. But she was a new chick, something new (and not half bad) to look at, and I just got the feeling that there was a lot more to her than she was giving away. She just needed the right person to bring out her wild side. Plus, I was also extremely bored with everything at the moment, and was looking for some sort of project to occupy my time with. Maybe she could be it.

"Earth to Edward."

I started. Emmett had climbed into the driver's seat and was revving the engine, and I hadn't even noticed.

"Oh," I grunted. "I was just…"

"Staring at Bella Swan," Emmett finished for me, pulling out of the parking space.

I was outraged. "No, I was _not_."

"Yeah, you totally were. I don't blame you though, she's hot."

I sighed, annoyed. "Well, then, why did you warn her off me on Saturday? That wasn't cool, man."

"Because," Emmett said, without an ounce of shame, "she's a sweet girl, and I know what you're like, unfortunately for me." He then launched into a Britney song. "_Womaniser, woman-womaniser, you're a womaniser, oh_!"

I couldn't help laughing at my brother.

"Oh, shut up. Says you, the guy who flirts with every piece of skirt that goes by."

"There's a difference between flirting with girls, and leading girls on," Emmett said, with a wisdom that didn't suit him. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, Em. Whatever."

"Just keeping it real," he said. "You'll just have to get over your obsession with Bella now."

"I'm not _obsessed_, idiot," I protested, outraged again.

"Sure. I'd love to know exactly what you think of her."

I started to grin. "I think Bella is like clay. She just needs to be moulded," I said, tapping my nose.

"And you're the man for the job, is it?" Emmett snorted.

"I am, actually," I retorted. "I'm already under her skin."

I knew that was true. If she really wasn't interested, she'd just ignore me. But she chose to retaliate hotly when I tried to wind her up, which just told me she wanted any excuse to have contact with me. I got to her.

"You're pretty cocky for someone who has the worst reputation in school."

"_Your_ reputation isn't all that saintly either, Emmett," I pointed out. "People just prefer to talk about me more."

Emmett snorted again, but he couldn't deny that was true.

"Exactly, bro, exactly." I dug in my pockets for a cigarette and lit up, waiting for the nicotine to de-stress me.

"Hey!" Emmett complained, coughing theatrically. "Open the window at least. Passive smoking kills, man."

I opened the window, rolling my eyes.

"Are you going to lecture me on my health now or something?" I wondered aloud, taking a drag and blowing it out of the window.

"Since when do you listen to anyone's lectures?"

I shrugged. "It's nice to be lectured at, though. At least then I know someone cares."

Emmett sniggered. "You're messed up."

"Blame it on society."

Emmett shook his head and began tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the rap music beating out of the stereo. It wasn't my taste, but it was Emmett's car. I told myself I'd just take the bike to school tomorrow; getting a ride off Emmett saved the planet and all of that, but I needed to feel the wind in my hair. That bike was my pride and joy.

"What were you saying about Bella, anyway?" Emmett piped up, interested again.

"Oh yeah," I said. "Well, I don't think that nice girl act is who she is. I reckon I'm her perfect type."

"Are you actually serious?" Emmett demanded incredulously. "I don't think Bella would touch you with a shitty stick."

"I'm telling you, man," I said, grinning. "She'll change her tune."

"You're into her?" Emmett asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No," I answered straightaway, "she's just my… experiment."

"I bet you three hundred bucks that this experiment of yours fails."

I sat up eagerly. "You're on. I just hope you have three hundred bucks floating around."

"I don't need to have it, because this dumb ass plan won't work, and your failure will buy me some new toys to play with. But there are conditions," he added, grinning evilly.

"What?" I said warily.

"You have one month."

"But the best laid plans take time!" I objected, incensed.

"So? I don't care. You're so confident that you can do this? Well, do it then."

"Fine," I said determinedly. "This time next month, we'll throw a party, and Bella will be all over me, and just as badass as I am."

"You've a high opinion of yourself," Emmett scoffed, "but deal. I'll be amazed if this works."

"It will work. Start saving your money, bro. You're going to need it."


	3. The Invitation

_Yaay, thank you for the reviews! awesomeness! two people made very accurate guesses as to what may be coming, so I'm starting to think this is a very typical story... but oh well. I'm having a blast writing it. Eimear: yes, there will be Emmett. Jen: you did embarrass me, but I agree, it was highly amusing, haha :P anyway, anyway... enjoy..._

**Chapter Three: The Invitation**

**Bella**

I walked into Biology apprehensively the next day. I took my seat, relieved that Edward wasn't there yet. As I watched the rest of the class begin to file in, I started to hope. Maybe he'd continue his streak of absence, and not bother coming in at all. I would spend the classes without a partner, but I found that thought didn't bother me all that much.

I huffed, as Edward Cullen strolled unconcernedly into class and took his seat next to me, not before throwing me a smirk.

"Wow, two days in a row, must be some sort of record for you," I couldn't help commenting bitchily.

"Oh, hardy haw. Bet _you_ haven't even missed a day yet," Edward retorted, leaning back in his seat.

"I haven't been ill."

"Ooh, so Princess must be _ill_ to take a day off? You really do have your own set of rules, don't you?"

"Shut up," I said, irritated beyond belief.

"You're going to want to break those rules one day, Miss Prissy," Edward said knowingly, his eyes twinkling devilishly. "They'll get really boring."

"_You_ get really boring really quickly, something I've noticed."

Edward snickered. "Just remember to run back to me so I can say I told you so."

"Oh, believe me, if I'm running anywhere it'll be away from you."

Edward sniggered again, and he was silenced by Mr Banner, who was starting his lecture and shooting evil eyes at anyone who was still talking. I spent the class in a huffy silence, too annoyed to even concentrate. Edward Cullen really got on my nerves.

When the bell rang, I tried to leave as fast as I could, but Edward blocked my path, cornering me against the table. His face was closer to mine than I would have liked, and the butterflies rioting in my stomach began to irritate me. OK, yes, he _was_ gorgeous, but he was a _jerk_.

"Friday night," he said, looking into my eyes.

"What about it?"

"My buddy is throwing a party in the city."

"I'm very happy for him."

Edward smiled. "And I'm racing."

Well, that was one rumour that was true, at least. Alice would be smug.

"You should come," he said, tilting his head to one side.

"And why should I?" I asked, raising my chin defiantly.

"Because it'll be the most fun you've had since you came here," he answered, grinning at me wickedly. My heart jumped around erratically in my chest.

But I narrowed my eyes. "What's in it for you?"

"Just the pleasure of your company," Edward shrugged.

"Come off it, Cullen," I scoffed. "You don't even like me. You're just trying to annoy me to death."

Edward licked his bottom lip slowly and rubbed it against his upper lip, considering me for a moment.

"You'll think about it," he decided.

"Oh, will I now?"

"Yeah, you will. If you can find something else to do on Friday night more exciting than my invitation, than off you go. But if not…" He grinned. "Will little miss good girl come out to play?"

"Bite me, Edward," I snapped, rolling my eyes.

"Where?" he replied, almost as though it were an automatic comeback. There was a short pause, and we just stared at each other.

Edward moved out of my way. "I'll see you Friday," he said, watching me leave.

"Don't hold your breath," I called over my shoulder. "Actually, try that for an hour, just to experiment."

I heard Edward sniggering to himself as I walked away. I just couldn't figure him out; it was impossible trying to understand his motives.

I couldn't help feeling like I was just a game to him, and nothing more.

I also couldn't help being utterly attracted to him.

* * *

Rosalie invited Alice and I back to her house after school, so we piled into her red convertible, along with Jasper, and headed to the Hale mansion. It was hard to hide the fact that Rosalie and Jasper had serious money, but they never tried to flaunt it in our faces, or even bring much attention to it all.

I waited until we were all chilling in Rosalie's room, Jasper back in the pink bean bag chair with his harmonica, before I brought up the subject of Edward Cullen, and told them what happened earlier. The girls listened with wide eyes, hardly able to believe it.

"Just be careful, Bella," Jasper warned, after a short pause. "I've heard stories about him."

"So have I," Alice said superiorly.

"Yeah, but most of _your_ stories aren't true," Jasper told her, and she made a face at him.

"I reckon you should go, Bells," she said excitedly. "Edward Cullen has never invited a girl I know of to one of his races, or anything like that!"

"He just invites them into his bed," Jasper put in. Alice ignored him.

"Girls I know who have been out with him said that he was all over them, and then completely ignored them the next day. But he's like… continuously talking to you."

Continuously bugging me, more like.

"Girls like who?" I asked, ignoring Jasper's eye-rolling and grumbling. I didn't know why I felt the need to ask. I just wanted to know who I'd be compared to, I suppose.

"Well, Jessica Stanley, for one," Alice said.

Jasper snorted loudly. "She wishes," he said, starting to laugh. "If she got off with Edward Cullen, then I'm a fairy princess."

Rosalie started laughing too, and I couldn't help but join in. Alice's expression was torn between amusement and annoyance.

"Ooh, I just had a great idea," Rosalie said, controlling herself. "I'll get Emmett to go, and bring me with him, and then you don't have to go alone with Edward!"

"Oh, and have you two watching and analysing our every moves? Sounds fun," I said, rolling my eyes.

"And what are Jasper and I, aliens from Uranus?" Alice interjected indignantly. "You can't just leave us behind, we should be involved in this field trip too!"

"When did this become a field trip?" I asked, horrified. "No, you know what? Let's not get excited, because I'm not even going."

"What?" they all said at the same time.

"It's stupid. I think the guy's a jerk, and I'm convinced he's just messing with me, 'cause I'm new and he thinks he'll get away with it. Well, no deal."

There was a silence as they considered what I said.

"You're right, Bella," Rosalie said eventually. "Anyone in school could tell you that Edward Cullen is just trouble and bad news. You're best just to leave him off, and he'll quit bugging you soon enough."

"Right," I said, relieved someone agreed with me. Jasper was nodding, fiddling with his harmonica, and Alice looked so disappointed, as though someone had told her Santa wasn't real and she wouldn't be getting her basketful of puppies after all.

"Alright, Al?" I asked her, trying not to grin.

"I just… so badly wanted to know if he was in a biker gang or not, I could have found out," Alice said sadly.

"You heard he was in a biker gang?" Jasper asked, in a _here we go again_ type of voice.

"Yes, they're called the Blood Suckers and they have the jackets and a logo and everything."

Jasper shook his head. "If I told you right now that Edward Cullen put a blonde wig on at the weekends and did Hannah Montana concerts throughout the country, would you believe me?"

Rosalie and I burst out laughing, and Alice rolled her eyes.

"No, of course not," she scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous." She joined in with the laughter though, despite herself. "I really must stop listening to Jessica Stanley," she mused, giggling.

"Yeah, really," Jasper agreed vehemently. "You can't buy tickets to that girl's planet."

* * *

Edward didn't come into school all week, so I began to hope that maybe he had forgotten our date, for want of a better word. He was probably partying with a load of hot girls anyway, and wasn't even thinking of me. I should of felt relieved, but that thought always put me in a bad mood, for no proper reason. Try as I might, I couldn't rid Edward Cullen from my head.

Friday night rolled around, and I still hadn't seen or heard from him, so I just assumed the whole thing was off. Charlie was working late, and I was just putting his dinner in the oven to keep warm when I heard an unfamiliar engine outside. Frowning, I peered out of the window, and gasped. It was Edward; he was climbing off his motorbike, pulling his helmet off his head and pushing his bronze hair out of his eyes… my breath caught for a moment.

Sometimes it was hard to remember that he was a jerk, because he was as sexy as hell.

There was a loud knocking at the door, and I unfroze myself, hurrying to answer it. I was thanking God that I hadn't bothered to change into sweats when I got home, and was still wearing the jeans and baggy grey jumper-dress I had worn to school. I opened my front door warily, and there he was, leaning against the doorframe, smirking.

"I see you found nothing better to do, seeing as you're still at home," Edward said, looking me up and down.

"I see you successfully stalked me and found out where I lived."

"I see you didn't make much of an effort for going out."

"I see you still think I'm going anywhere with you."

"I see you're still as stubborn as always."

"I see you're still a patronising jerk."

Edward grinned, not at all bothered. "Are you coming or what?"

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm not going."

"Ah, so you found a better alternative then?"

"Yeah. Washing my hair."

He just smirked, annoyingly. "I drove all the way out here and you're turning me down?" he demanded, feigning a devastated tone of voice.

"I never asked you to drive all the way out here. And if you expected me to just fall into your waiting open arms, then your expectations are abnormally high."

"I should have guessed, I suppose," Edward sighed. "Miss Goody Two Shoes would rather curl up in bed with a book than risk going out with Big Bad Scary Edward Cullen and his Big Bad Scary Motorbike. I'll go on my own, then."

He started swaggering away towards his bike, but not before clucking like a chicken and flapping his arms.

It should not have gotten to me.

I should have let it go.

What I definitely should _not_ have done was jump into the yard after him, and yell "Give me ten minutes, you a-hole!"

I ran inside, not wanting to see his triumphant grin. I took the stairs two at a time, praying Charlie wouldn't choose any time soon to arrive home; he hated motorbikes, and the 'hooligans' who drove them. He'd kill me.

Alice, bless her, had planned my outfit for me before I decided I wasn't going, so I already knew what to throw on. A black miniskirt, black boots and a long-sleeved black jumper. Biker babe chic, apparently. I wrote a quick note for Charlie, and left it downstairs; it said that dinner was in the oven and I had gone to stay at Alice's, as there was a girl stuff crisis. I knew Charlie wouldn't pry or look for more information; he wouldn't want to know.

I left the house, and Edward was sitting on his motorbike, revving the engine. He watched me walk towards him, smirking again.

"So you _do_ have a pair of legs?"

"Shut up."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Shut up."

"Was it my charm?"

"Shut up."

"Jeez, Bella, if you're going to spend the whole night telling me to shut up, it won't do a hell of a lot for conversation."

I rolled my eyes. "Just give me a helmet."

He handed me the spare, and I struggled to put it on, knowing I'd have the worst case of helmet hair ever once I took it off. Edward helped me strap it in place, and then patted the seat of the bike. I climbed on it gingerly, sitting behind Edward, unsure if I was supposed to hold on to him or not. I didn't have to ask, thankfully, as Edward suddenly grabbed the crooks of my knees and pulled me right up against his back. He then reached back to take my hands, and pulled them around him, locking them around his chest, which I couldn't help noticing was lovely and hard and toned.

"You need to hold on to me, sweetheart, or you'll fall off," Edward said, in his usual patronising manner. "But don't worry, I know you're a motorbike virgin, so I'll be gentle."

I rolled my eyes again. I must be completely mad to want to go anywhere with him.

Edward revved the engine again.

"Now, are you sure your Daddy won't miss you?" he asked, pretending to be concerned.

"Oh, shut _up_."

He laughed, and my stomach was left behind in the driveway as the motorbike lurched into life, speeding towards the highway.


	4. The Race

_Yaay! Every day I can't wait to go and read my reviews, I heart them! Thank you guys! I'll keep the updates coming, I'm writing chapter 8 at the moment, nice to be ahead of schedule for once, haha. So, this chapter was sort of inspired by The Fast and The Furious, but it's mostly my imagination. Let me know what you think! It's my 19th birthday today, so I'm off to treat myself to some sexy biker boots I saw in a shop window. Hurrah! :D_

**Chapter Four: The Race**

**Bella**

I was definitely regretting the skirt. The freezing cold air had whipped against my legs for the entire journey, and now I couldn't feel them. The drive seemed to go on forever; I had spent the majority of it feeling unstable and unsafe, as though I were about to be thrown off it at any minute. I could tell that Edward found the speed and the lack of restraints exhilarating, but just couldn't find any part of me that agreed with him.

Maybe my dad was right; motorbikes were lethal.

Eventually, we began to arrive in Port Angeles… but I barely recognised it. At night, it seemed to transform into a whole different place. Edward drove through the main street, which was lit mainly by neon signs, and groups of people were scattered along the sidewalk, chatting and laughing and shouting; there was a sense of heavy anticipation in the atmosphere… like they were all waiting for something.

Edward pulled over suddenly, parking next to a load of shiny motorbikes and their admirers and boasting owners. He killed the engine and jumped off easily, extracting his head from his helmet at the same time. I feared I might have needed to be thawed off of the motorbike, I was so cold, but I somehow managed to half-fall off it onto my feet. Edward steadied me.

"You OK?" he asked, helping me take off my helmet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, ruffling my hair, paranoid of it being stuck to my head in the shape of a helmet.

"Good," he said. I looked around the street; it was nothing how I expected it should look at night time. The neon lights were creating a multi-coloured glow, and the voices and laughter were infectious. I eyed a few very pretty girls who were wearing even less than I was, and I shivered involuntarily; how were they not freezing?

I was jolted out of the mesmerised trance my surroundings had put me under, by Edward putting his arm around my waist. I wanted to tell him to put it back, but I changed my mind. I felt unsure and self-conscious in such an unfamiliar setting, but Edward seemed at ease with it, so I figured that it would be the best idea to just stick with him, and put up with the arm around me.

It wasn't so bad, anyway.

I let Edward guide me over to a group of people he seemed to know, while I fiddled with the hem of my skirt nervously.

"Stop fidgeting," he hissed, and I huffed, my snappy retort cut off by a tall, rangy, good-looking guy with long sandy hair that was tied back in a ponytail.

"Edward!" he shouted, grinning. "I knew you'd be back, coming second never suits Edward Cullen!"

"Why don't you say that a little louder, Garrett, I don't think everyone quite heard you," Edward said, but he was grinning back. "And of course I'm back. I'm the best, and everyone knows it."

"Yeah, so good you keep coming in second!" Garrett guffawed, approaching us.

"Shut up," Edward said. "I just didn't have my good luck charm with me."

"And is she it?" Garrett asked, nodding to me. He smiled and offered me his hand. "Garrett," he said.

"Bella," I answered, smiling back shyly. I was starting to relax a little; nothing too out of the ordinary so far had happened.

"She could be my good luck charm…" Edward let his voice trail off deliberately, tightening his fingers on my waist a couple of times. I wanted to roll my eyes at him, and tell him I wouldn't be the best choice as all I wished on him was harm… but I was the one who came with him. I didn't have to go. I had already decided I _wasn't_ going to go, yet here I was. I came because he annoyed me, and I wanted to prove that I wasn't always by-the-book, that if I wanted to jump on a bike with a near stranger to somewhere I'd never been, then I would.

I also came… because I was curious. Intrigued. Edward Cullen was just so different to any guy I'd ever met; he said what he liked and didn't care what I thought of it. He didn't care about his reputation, or defending it in any way. He persisted until he got what he wanted, in the end. Yes, he was rude and arrogant and irritating to the point of no return… but there was just _something_ about him that seemed to outshine all the bad stuff. _Something_ that made me want to trust him, weird as it was.

Of course, I still hadn't managed to shake that uneasy feeling, that knew he would drop me the minute I gave him whatever he wanted from me. I knew it was dangerous, then, to ever expect anything from him, and I knew that where my feelings were concerned, they'd have to remain completely untangled from Edward's web as possible. Or I'd only get hurt.

"You'd better hope so, or else you're coming in second again," I said, and Garrett burst out laughing.

"She's funny. Probably got more brains than all the rest of them put together too, eh, Edward?" he added, winking.

For a second, I was put out. I wondered how many other girls had come out here with him, hoping they'd be the ones who would win the elusive Edward Cullen's heart. Little did they know.

I got a hold of myself. I didn't care about Edward's heart, or about winning it. I was attracted to him, but only because he was heartbreakingly gorgeous, and that's where the attraction ended. As far as his personality was concerned, it could do with a good bit of improvement.

We were then joined by a beautiful blonde, who turned out to be Garrett's girlfriend, Kate, and her sister, Carmen.

"Where's the boyfriend tonight, Carmen?" Edward teased.

"He's getting ready to race and whip your ass good," she replied smugly.

"Not tonight," Edward smirked, shaking his head. He took me aside for a second. "I'm going to move the bike to the starting line, OK? Don't wander off, and don't make eye contact with guys, 'cause some of them will come over and try and get you to leave with them. Just stay with Garrett and Kate, OK?"

"Sure," I said, glad my tone appeared nonchalant.

"Are you going to cheer for me to win?" he smirked, looking up at me from underneath his eyelashes.

"If you're lucky," I replied, and he laughed.

"I'm always lucky," he winked, and went off towards his bike. I rejoined Garrett and the girls uncertainly, and they included me in the conversation like I had been hanging out with them for years. I was talking with them for about ten minutes - Garrett wanted to know what Phoenix was like, as he had never been - when the sudden revving of engines cut me off.

"Ooh, it's starting," Kate said excitedly. "Come on, Bella!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the edge of the pavement. I drank in the scene before me. About ten bikes were lined up side by side in the middle of the road, and the groups of people had converged into a whistling and cheering crowd, jostling for the best view of the road.

I spotted Edward on his silver bike straightaway; his stance was exuding cockiness.

"Good luck, baby!" Carmen yelled, and a guy in a red helmet a few bikes down from Edward gave her a thumbs up.

A girl wearing tiny shorts, a bikini top and stilettos, walked through the waiting bikers; not before brushing a hand along Edward's shoulder, I noticed. A load of guys started wolf-whistling.

"Go, Tanya!" Kate shouted, "whoo! That's our other sister," she explained to me.

"Oh. Does she know Edward too?" I asked, the image of her brushing her hand along his shoulder still fresh in my brain.

"Yeah, they used to go out," Kate said, too caught up in what was going on to properly notice my reaction. I was glad. I eyed the scantily-clad and beautiful Tanya, who all the guys were whistling at, and felt totally intimidated.

I watched as she held a blue scarf in the air above her head. The crowd died down a little, and the engines revved.

"Three!" Tanya shouted. "Two! One!"

She swung the scarf through the air, and the motorbikes launched forward. The crowd shouted their approval. Tanya didn't get run over, to my disappointment, and tottered off of the road towards us, grinning.

"Well done, babe," Kate said, but left it at that; the race was too exciting. The bikes raced down to the end of the street towards the roundabout, which they circled before re-entering the street again. I couldn't help but get infected by the enthusiasm, as the crowd waited for the first racer to reappear. I also couldn't help clapping and cheering a little, as the silver motorbike came roaring into view. It was Edward, in his shiny black and silver helmet, crouched low over the handlebars, looking sexier than I'd ever seen him. The rest of the bikes weren't far behind him, but there was no chance he wouldn't win.

I cheered again as he sped over the finish line, which had been spray painted onto the ground. There was a blur of sound as the rest of the bikes ended the race, and then it was over.

"See? You were my good luck charm," Edward said, swaggering over to me after he'd finished soaking up the admiration and approval from the crowd.

I blushed, rolling my eyes. "Lucky you, then."

The rest of the night went by in a haze of sounds and images. I was just hanging around with Edward and his friends, ignoring Tanya for my own immature little reasons, and having quite a good time, when I suddenly realised a huge chunk of the crowd had disappeared.

"What time is it?" I asked Edward, and he checked his watch.

"Four in the morning."

"Are you serious?" I said, shocked. I didn't feel tired at all.

"Your Daddy's not missing you, is he?" Edward said, feigning worry and fear.

"Shut up," I sighed. "Of course he isn't. I told him I wouldn't be home tonight."

"Ooh, rebel."

I rolled my eyes at him, but he just ignored me, and lit up a cigarette. I watched disapprovingly as he took a long drag.

"Smoking is bad for your health," I told him, doing my best to imitate his patronising tone.

"So is listening to you nagging me. I'm allergic to it."

I huffed, clenching my jaw. He was _so_ annoying. I ignored him until he'd finished his cigarette and threw the butt on the ground, squashing it with his foot.

"Where are you staying then?" he asked, running his fingers threw his hair.

I shrugged.

"Smart, Bella," he said sarcastically, shaking his head. "How about I drop you at the homeless shelter and see if they'll give you a bed for the night?"

"Oh, whatever, you can just drop me at -"

"You can stay at mine if you want," he interrupted. "My dad will be too busy working to notice who's coming in or out, and my mother is away at her cousin's. So it's just me and Emmett."

"Oh," I said, considering the idea warily. "Well… I don't mind."

"Neither do I," he said indifferently.

"Well then, that's fine," I said awkwardly, and Edward jerked his head in some imitation of a nod.

We set off back towards Forks not long after; I had to promise Garrett that I'd come back up and visit him again, which I did, laughing. He was so nice. The girls hugged me goodbye, and then I was sitting on the back of Edward's bike again, wishing I had worn trousers instead.

The journey wasn't as scary as it had been the first time, and it felt shorter; all too soon we were pulling up at Edward's large mansion, parking next to Emmett's massive jeep. Edward unlocked his front door, and we tiptoed our way through the dark and quiet house, me concentrating on not tripping over anything that might be lurking in the gloom.

Edward stuck his head into what was apparently Emmett's room as we passed it.

"He's asleep," he whispered to me, and I nodded. The next door we came to was Edward's, and he put his hand on the small of my back as I walked into it, before closing the door behind us and switching on a light.

I was surprised. Edward's room was just… normal. Clothes all over the floor. Shoes strewn about untidily. An Xbox and its two controllers tangled messily below a dusty TV. Posters of rock bands on the wall. A keyboard in the corner of the room, next to a unsteady-looking pile of CDs.

"I heard you played the piano," I commented, gesturing towards the corner, yawning. The exhaustion was really getting to me now.

"A piano and a keyboard are two different things, sweetheart," Edward drawled, in his usual condescending manner. I exhaled slowly, wishing murder could be legal for just five minutes. I didn't bother retorting; it would just be a waste of my energy. I just turned and threw him the darkest look I could summon, and he sniggered.

I threw myself on his king-sized bed, kicking off my boots and rolling under the covers. Might as well make myself at home, I thought to myself amusedly.

"What are you doing?" Edward demanded. "You're sleeping on the floor. I'm sorry I never made that very clear to you."

"Oh, shut up," I told him, and he sniggered again to himself. My heart stopped altogether for a second, when he shrugged off his leather jacket and pulled his black t-shirt over his head, revealing a perfectly toned and muscled chest. I hastened to stop myself from both ogling and drooling before he could notice. He had a large tattoo on his upper arm of a snake; the body was coiled around his arm a few times, and its head was resting just above the crook of his elbow. It was black and red, and very cool - I wanted to compliment it, but I didn't want to inflate his ego any more than it already was.

"Now, I normally sleep naked, but I get the feeling that wouldn't be very appropriate?" he asked, smirking, and I just sighed exasperatedly. He never knew when to shut up. And now I was imagining him naked. Shut up, brain.

Edward climbed into the bed next to me, still in his skinny jeans, and stretched out. I tensed for a minute, thinking that if he even _tried_ to cuddle me I'd kick him where it hurt, but he didn't try anything.

I fell asleep quickly, grinning as I imagined Alice's reaction when I told her about this the next day.


	5. The Weenies

_Ugh. I couldn't update at any point over the weekend, it was so annoying. But anyway, here we go, back into it :D thank you for the stellar reviews, and to all the people who gave me birthday wishes! shucks... :) I bought those boots, by the way, they're fab... haha. Enjoy!_

**Chapter Five: The Weenies**

**Bella**

When I woke up the next morning, I hadn't a clue where I was. The weak sunlight was shining in through the window; the curtains hadn't been drawn, and it was gently warming where it touched my face. I gazed at the unfamiliar ceiling, breathing in the unfamiliar scents, and tried to remember the night before.

And then it hit me. Ah, yes. Edward Cullen.

I turned my head. He was facing me, still asleep, and my heart skipped a couple of beats. His hair was scruffy and all over the place, there was a dark shadow along his jaw, and he was so sexy it hurt. I ogled him happily for a while, thinking that I liked him the most when he was sleeping.

I thought back to last night. To my immense surprise, I had really enjoyed myself, and I would go again. And Edward had been reasonably well behaved. He hadn't even tried anything on me last night. All the stories just didn't add up. I thought he'd be out for whatever he could get, and once he got enough, he'd move on to the next unfortunate victim. But not with me. It was almost like… he was respecting my space.

Weird.

The door banged against the wall as it was thrown open, and I jumped violently.

"Bro, get u-" Emmett stopped in his tracks when he spotted me. He was wearing nothing but boxers, and my eyes nearly fell out of my head… they were both so _hot_. "Well, well, well," he said loudly, smirking in a way that so resembled Edward. "What's this then?!"

"Go away, Emmett," Edward muttered, his eyes still closed.

"Bella, I told you _not_ to go there!" Emmett protested, his eyes sad. "I thought you'd trust my advice!"

I got out of bed, running my fingers through my hair.

"Well, I should probably head home," I said awkwardly.

"Bye," Edward said, still refusing to open his eyes.

I rolled my own eyes and pulled my boots on.

"You can't leave in the same clothes you arrived in. What would the neighbours think?" Emmett asked, sounding scandalised, and Edward snickered into his pillow. I threw them both a look.

"What is it with you Cullens?" I said, shaking my head. "I'm going home, so I'll see you -"

"Wait, I'll drive you home," Emmett offered.

"No, it's OK, I'll walk -"

"I insist," Emmett said, holding up his hands with a finality. "I'm going out anyway."

Edward finally opened his eyes and raised his head, shooting Emmett a warning look that I didn't understand.

"What?" Emmett asked him innocently. Edward just narrowed his eyes at him, and lay back down. "Right. Bella, just let me get dressed," Emmett said, making his way out of Edward's bedroom.

"Don't feel you need to on my account," I joked, and his booming laugh echoed throughout the hallway.

I looked back towards Edward as I was leaving; his eyes were closed again. I gazed at him for a second.

"See you later, Edward," I said, but he didn't reply.

Emmett was ready in five minutes, jangling his keys. "Right, darlin', let's get you home."

We walked over to the jeep, and I stared at the motorbike, wondering if last night actually happened at all. It had a dreamlike quality about it now, in the harsh clarity of day.

Emmett helped climb into the jeep with a hand on my ass, which I shook my head at but didn't make a huge deal out of. It was just Emmett for you. He jumped into the car and started the engine, but not before raising his eyebrows at me.

"So," he said, dragging out the word slowly as he reversed out of the drive. "You and my bro, huh?"

"There's nothing going on."

"Nothing, eh?" he asked interestedly.

"Yep. Absolutely nothing."

"Well, if there's nothing going on, as you claim, then how come you woke up in his bed this morning?"

I blushed. "He took me to one of his races last night," I explained. "It was late, I told my dad I was staying at Alice's, so Edward just brought me back to your place. No big deal."

"Hmm," Emmett said, nodding his head. "I see." He paused. "Just… don't forget what I told you, OK?"

"I won't," I promised. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it."

We talked about random things until he dropped me off at the end of my driveway.

"Cheers, Emmett," I said, gratefully. "I'll see you at school."

"Yup. And no more sneaking off with my bro until all hours of the night!" he grinned, winking.

I rolled my eyes, smiling. "I'll try to resist the temptation."

Emmett laughed, and I waved as he drove away. I managed to get into the house and up the stairs before Charlie could see what I was wearing, and changed quickly. I jogged downstairs and chatted to him in the living room for a while, relieved to see that he didn't seem at all suspicious.

The phone rang, and it turned out to be Alice. I thanked the heavens I had arrived home in time, and Charlie didn't have to answer the phone to the person whose house I was supposed to be staying at.

"So, have you any news?" she asked me, after finishing her anecdote of something cryptic that Jasper had said to her and what she thought it meant.

I lowered my voice. "I went out with Edward Cullen last night."

"WHAT?"

I laughed, rubbing my ear. "Yep, it's true."

"Oh. My. God. Get your ass over here right now and tell me all about it. Now. Quick. Fast."

She hung up, and I grinned. I decided to jump in for a quick shower before I headed to Alice's, so it was about twenty minutes later when I pulled up at her house. Jasper and Rosalie's car was parked outside, so I assumed they had been summoned too. I rang the doorbell, and Alice threw the door open straight away.

"What took you so long?" she hissed, pulling me inside. "I've been dying of excitement!"

"I came as fast as I could," I said. I was practically pushed up into Alice's bedroom, which was emitting Lady GaGa's album, and where Rosalie and Jasper were hanging out. I grinned a greeting at them when I walked in, and they sat up eagerly. It didn't take long to explain the whole story of last night to them, punctuated with Alice's excited little gasps.

"Wow," Rosalie said, when I finally shut myself up. "That was some night. And he didn't make any moves on you at all?"

"No," I shrugged, suddenly panicked. Edward was known for making moves… what if he didn't think I was attractive enough? Oh God. That was just embarrassing.

"That's weird," Rosalie commented.

_It's not that weird_, I wanted to snap, but I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I didn't even want Edward to make moves on me, so it shouldn't even matter in the first place.

"Sounds to me like he's up to something," Jasper said suspiciously.

"You think everything is a conspiracy, though," Alice put in.

"Bella, I wouldn't trust the guy as far as I could throw him," Jasper continued, ignoring Alice.

"But you don't know him!" Alice argued, who seemed so determined to believe that this was a romantic love story that would end well. "Maybe he really likes Bella, and is trying to ditch his bad reputation by going out with her, so only she knows what he's really like…"

"None of us know him," Jasper pointed out, rolling his eyes at Alice's theory. "Bella… I don't think it would be wise to even be his friend."

I nodded. I knew what he meant. On one hand, my attraction for him meant that I wanted to be around him, but when I was around him, all I wanted to do was kill him. I wasn't getting any particular vibe that he liked me all that much; I felt like I was just a toy he could wind up.

I shouldn't be bothering with him, I knew that. I really shouldn't.

Lady GaGa was still blasting from Alice's speakers, and the lyrics caught my attention suddenly.

"_I'm looking for love, not an empty page, full of stuff that means nothing but 'you've been played'."_

* * *

**Edward**

I had surprised myself by having a good time with Bella on Friday night.

Garrett and the girls liked her. She was funny, she was witty, she was interesting… she was different. I usually dated girls who were all looks and no substance, just because I could. With Bella, I couldn't just click my fingers and expect her to jump. She'd refuse.

It didn't make any difference though. I'd had a good time with her - terrific. I still refused to lose that bet. I hated losing at anything; I had even stopped racing for a while, just because I narrowly missed coming in first. Even though it wasn't a very attractive personality trait, I just couldn't help it; I was a sore loser.

I was positive I could win the bet… it was all a matter of how. I could tell Bella was too wary of me to fall into my arms if I tried anything on her, so that would be the wrong approach. I just needed to get her to _snap_. Maybe if I got her pissed off with all her little rules, and showed her what a good time she could have if she broke them… I might be able to persuade her then. I was sure it would work.

I knew how to press her buttons. I couldn't believe it when she said she'd come out with me, right after I called her chicken. She always seemed so determined to prove me wrong about her, to have the upper hand at all times. It made her easy to manipulate.

I was in the guy's bathroom in school, Monday morning, just before Biology, when I heard the Weenies having a crisis meeting. I rolled my eyes. Mike Newton was the ringleader, and him and his two other friends Eric and Tyler just drove me absolutely mad. They weren't men yet, they were still wimpy little boys.

"So, do you think I should ask Bella out today?" Mike was saying worriedly.

"Go for it, man, 'cause what if someone else gets there first?" Eric encouraged.

"Just be real casual about it," Tyler advised. "Be cool."

"Cool," Mike repeated. "I can be cool."

I had to bite on my knuckles to stop myself from laughing. A plan was forming in my head, and quite a brilliant plan at that.

I waited until they had left the bathrooms before leaving myself, and swaggered into Biology, feeling extremely confident that this would work. Bella rolled her eyes when she saw me, her usual greeting. She didn't say anything as I sat down, and I decided that starting with niceties first would wreck the effect. I could see Mike Newton throwing glances at Bella from the corner of my eye, and I smirked.

"So, Bella…" I began. "How come you don't have a boyfriend?"

She stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"A good-looking girl like you should be inundated with offers. Why isn't that the case? Is it against your rules?"

Bella glared at me fiercely. "How come _you_ don't have a girlfriend, Cullen? Is it because you're too much of a jerk? Is it because you're a spoilt baby? Or is it because you're obsessed with me?"

I blinked, not having expected that. I narrowed my eyes.

"Watch what you're saying, Bella. I'm not the type to take insults like those lightly."

"Well, what gives you the right to insult me?" she demanded. "Don't dish it if you can't take it."

I fumed, taken aback. I always forgot that she was never afraid in coming back at me; I was so used to saying what I wanted to say, and never getting any shit for it. This girl… she was just something else.

We didn't speak for the rest of the class, and I could feel the annoyance radiating off her in waves. I wondered if I went too far, but as I spied Mike making his way over to Bella at the end of class, I realised that I had gone just far enough.

I dropped the entire contents of my pencil case on the floor, and bent down to pick everything up, purposely putting myself right in Bella's way. She huffed, but I took my time, waiting for the cowardly lion to pluck up some courage.

"Bella?" I heard Mike say timidly, and I snorted to myself. Pathetic.

"Oh, hi, Mike," she said, and I thought that I could detect a false note in her voice. Maybe.

"Listen, I was wondering… would you like to go to the cinema with me tonight? Like… on a date?"

I really wanted to see Bella's expression, but I decided not to risk it. I shoved the rest of my pens into my pencil case, both Mike and I waiting with bated breath on Bella's reply.

"Sure," she said, eventually. "Why not?"

"Great!" Mike said, sounding ecstatic. "Great. I'll talk to you later, yeah, sort out what time to pick you up?"

"Yeah," Bella said, her voice all sweetness and light and fake. "I'll talk to you then."

Ha.

I waited until Mike had gone before I stood up. Bella jumped as she registered me suddenly right next to her face. I smirked and gave her a thumbs up, and she glowered at me before stalking away.

I chuckled to myself. I had a plan, and it was going to be so much fun.


	6. The Lecture

_Thank you for the reviews! =)_

**Chapter Six: The Lecture**

**Bella**

Bad idea, Bella. Really bad idea.

I shouldn't have said yes to Mike. That was mean. He was a perfectly nice guy, but I just had no intention of repeatedly dating him; he wasn't my type.

I knew why I did say yes, though. All because of freaking Edward Cullen. I just wanted to show him that I _was_ desirable and wanted by other guys, because he really pissed me off when he asked me why I hadn't a boyfriend yet.

I really had to stop doing things purely because Edward pissed me off.

Horrified, I told Rosalie and Alice, when I managed to catch up with them, about Mike.

"Mike Newton?" Rosalie said, wrinkling her nose. "Girl, you could do so much better than _him_."

I sighed. "I only said it to get back at Edward."

"Why, what did Edward say?" Alice demanded.

I explained our conversation earlier, and they both gasped simultaneously.

"He's such a jerk!" Rosalie exclaimed. "I would have done the same thing," she reassured me.

"Yes, but now I have Mike following me around like a lovesick puppy - oh, hi, Mike!"

He had just appeared in front of us, and I hastily rearranged my features into a smile, hoping he hadn't overheard me.

"Hey girls," he greeted us. "How are you, Bella?"

"I'm fine," I said, my voice an octave higher than usual.

"We'll leave you two to it then," Alice said, giggling, and dragged Rosalie away. I made a mental note to kill both of them later.

I chatted to Mike for a minute, sorting out the arrangements for our date tonight, wishing I could call the whole thing off. But I was too nice for that; I didn't want to hurt his feelings, especially since I had agreed to it in the first place.

The hours flew by, much to my annoyance, and all too soon I telling Charlie that I was just going out with a friend and that I'd see him later, and climbing into Mike's car.

In fairness, it wasn't a terrible night. Mike was very sweet; he complimented me, he held my hand, he gave me his jacket when it became too cold… he did all the typical cute things a boyfriend would do. I was flattered, but I just didn't feel any sort of spark or chemistry. I couldn't help comparing the ordinary cinema date in the early afternoon in Port Angeles, to the wild and exciting race Edward had taken me to after dark in Port Angeles. I mean, I knew that wasn't a date, per se… but still.

Mike dropped me back home afterwards, and I felt a large mixture of guilt and shame when he eagerly asked me if I'd go out with him again.

"Well," I began, about to launch into a "we're better off as friends" spiel… but he looked so hopeful and happy and I was just too damn _nice_. "I'd love to", is what ended up coming out of my mouth.

Mike grinned. He leaned towards me, and even though I should have seen it coming, I was totally shocked when he pressed his mouth against mine.

He was a bad, bad kisser. Too much teeth and tongue and he tasted like salty popcorn… ugh.

I couldn't wait to get out of the car, even though that made me feel like a right bitch, and waved as he drove away, a humongous happy smile on his face.

I thought of what I'd have to face tomorrow at school, and I cringed.

This was all that damn Edward Cullen's fault.

* * *

**Edward**

"You know, I heard something weird in the locker room after Gym today…" Emmett began, wandering into my room. I didn't look up from the song I was trying to compose on the keyboard. We had a grand piano downstairs, but I just preferred the space of my own room.

"What?" I muttered, expecting a dirty joke of some kind.

"Mike Newton went on a date with Bella Swan last night, and according to Newton, they're unofficially going out."

I burst into a fit of sniggers. Emmett just stared at me.

"You know, I thought you'd be more distressed. You can't win this bet if she's going out with someone else, you know."

"She's not going out with him. Trust me. She doesn't like him."

"And how do you know that?"

"I just do. I annoyed her about not having a boyfriend, and then Mike came over and asked her out, so she said yes, purely because I was there and listening."

"I see…" Emmett frowned, thinking about this. The look of concentration on his face really did not suit him. Then he shook his head.

"Edward, Edward, Edward…"

"What?" I protested warily, feeling like I was about to be chastened.

"Remind me of our bet again…?"

"Eh, you give me three hundred bucks if I can score Bella Swan within a month and turn her into the rebel I know she is?"

"Exactly. You're going to try and get with Bella Swan?"

"Yes."

"As in, get involved with her romantically?"

"Eh, yes."

"And you think by setting her up to get with Mike Newton, she'll suddenly ditch him because she's realised she'd rather be with you instead?"

"Eh…"

"Edward," Emmett began, with the air of a professor about to give an important lecture, "I know you've been with your share of girls. But, right now, I have only just realised how completely useless you are when it comes to dealing with them."

"Excuse me?" I demanded, my keyboard forgotten.

"That whole _treat them mean, keep them keen_ thing is bullshit. Bella thinks you're a jerk, and if you keep acting like one, there is no way in hell she'll ever want to touch you with a ten foot shitty stick."

"I have a plan," I put in, trying to defend myself.

"And I have no doubt that it sucks. I shouldn't really be helping you try to win this bet, because it will make me quite poor, but you need to be taught, bro. Girls want to be _romanced_."

I stared at him sceptically. "Romance?"

"Yes. And I'm not talking about flowers and chocolate. I'm talking about flattery. Flirting. The _chase_! Girls love to be chased by guys - it makes them feel good."

"I'm bad at romance," I muttered, talking more to myself than Emmett.

"That's because you're sarcastic and rude and arrogant and you can't help yourself."

I didn't even bother arguing with that.

"But Edward, here's the thing… girls can tell when you're genuine. If you want to romance them, but you're bad at it… they'll still fall for you. Bad romance is still romance."

"But…" I wanted to say that I didn't particularly want to _romance_ Bella Swan. After I won the bet, she would cease to mean anything to me. I didn't want to pour my heart out to a girl I wasn't even that interested in.

"Bro, you don't have a hope in hell of getting with Bella Swan if you don't drastically change your attitude towards her. All she wants is your bad romance. Like that song!"

"What song?"

"That Lady GaGa chick's song."

"Oh my God, Emmett. Pop music? What the hell?"

"It's an addiction," he said, not bothering to look ashamed. "_She wants your ugly, she wants your disease…_" he began to sing, grinning. "_She wants your everything as long as it's free, she wants your love_…"

"Stop it."

"_Love, love, love - she wants your love_…"

"Shut up."

"_She wants your drama, the touch of your hand… she wants your leather studded kiss_…" Emmett couldn't finish, he was laughing so much, and I couldn't help it; I joined in, holding my head in my hands. It was a while before we had both calmed down enough to speak.

"So, how do you know all the words?" I wanted to know.

"Because I dance to it in my bedroom."

"I should have known."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Were you?"

"Not really."

We both started laughing again, and Emmett wiped the tears from his eyes. "Oh, man," he said. "Anyway, I went totally off the point there. All I'm basically saying is… the way you're going now, I'm going to be three hundred bucks richer by the end of this month." He winked at me. "I wonder what I shall buy…" He left the room, leaving me with my thoughts.

Perhaps he had a point. My favourite hobby of the day was now antagonising Bella Swan… but that wouldn't make her like me.

I made up my mind. First of all, I'd help her break all her silly little rules. I wanted her to stop being so uptight about things, and find out what the word 'spontaneous' meant.

Then, when she snapped, I'd have a go at this whole stupid bad romance thing. I really wanted to win this bet, so it was worth a try, I guess.

* * *

I watched Bella and Mike closely the next day whenever I spotted them together… her smile was fake. It may not have been obvious to him, but it sure was to me. She didn't want to be with him. She didn't want to be around him.

I was actually early for Biology class - a first, probably. I leaned back in my seat, drumming my fingers against the desk. Bella walked in with Mike hanging off her arm; he was showing off, and it made me smirk. I think only I noticed the relief in her expression when he left to sit in his assigned seat.

"Does your jaw hurt?" I asked, as she sat down next to me.

"What?"

"Does your jaw hurt? From smiling that fake smile, the one you don't mean."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she scoffed, without once looking at me.

"Yes, you do. You only went out with Mike Newton to spite me -"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"- and to make _him_ happy. What about what _you_ want, Bella?"

She didn't answer me, and proceeded to ignore me for the whole class. I wasn't a mind reader, but I could practically hear what she was thinking. She knew what I was saying was true. She knew I was right.

Mike's happiness was going to be awfully short-lived.

And sure enough, during lunchtime when I was rooting through my locker, I heard Bella and Mike arguing from just around the corner. I crept closer to listen.

"Look, Mike, I'm sorry you feel that way but I just don't feel like going -"

"What about how I feel?"

"I'm really sorry, I know you wanted me to go -"

"Yeah, I did."

There was a pause, and I'm sure that both Mike and I were waiting for Bella to give in. I expected it, so that's why I was surprised when she snapped at him.

"Oh, stop sulking, Mike, I don't want to go and that should be all you need to know. Stop thinking about yourself all the time, and get over it."

"Fine," Mike muttered, and I heard him stomping off in a huff.

I chose that moment to strut around the corner, and I caught her expression; total exasperation, completely fed up. Her eyes fell onto me, and I raised an eyebrow at her, smirking.

She flicked her middle finger at me, and turned away, stalking up the corridor.

I grinned to myself. That wasn't very nice.

* * *

**Bella**

I buried my face in Alice's pillow.

"Whyyy?! Why did I say yes to him, what possessed me?!" I moaned.

"There, there," Alice said, the amusement in her tone rendering her attempt at comfort useless.

"Oh no, I'm going to have to dump him now. I can just imagine the gossip! The New Girl's First Relationship In Forks Lasts Three Days. Scandalous!"

Alice laughed. "Chillax, Bella. Jessica Stanley is the biggest gossip in school, so I'll put you in a good light to her, so it'll be Mike who'll get the worst of it," she promised.

"Oh, but it's not even Mike's _fault_…" I shook my head, distressed. "This is a disaster. What was I thinking? I shouldn't have led Mike on. I'm the new school tease."

Alice snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. You're not a tease."

"I am! And I'm stupid! I only did it to spite Edward. He was right. I cut off my nose to spite my face. Ugh, why do I let Edward GET to me so much?!"

I sighed loudly in annoyance, wishing the pillow would suddenly swallow me whole. I had escaped to Alice's after school, needing someone to complain to and help me figure out a solution for this whole mess.

"Could it be because you like him…?" Alice asked slyly. I looked up at her.

"Why on earth would I like him? He does nothing but manipulate me and annoy me and cause me to do things I don't want to do, on purpose. And he thinks I can't see that."

"True," Alice agreed. "But you wouldn't be normal if you weren't dazzled by his gorgeousness."

I sniffed. "Yeah, he's gorgeous. But his personality isn't. I can't stand him, Alice - and I refuse to be his plaything."

Even though I said that, I was half-afraid that I already was.


	7. The Kiss

_Thank you for the great reviews, yer all fab. I loved writing this particular chapter, funnily enough, and don't let the title mislead you ;) enjoy..._

**Chapter Seven: The Kiss**

**Bella**

Edward Cullen wasn't in school the next day. Or the day after that.

Or the week after that.

I had gotten used to walking into Biology now, and not seeing his smirking, condescending face. Rumours were flying around the school about where he was and what he was doing now, and Alice seemed to be collecting them, like a person might collect stamps.

"Jessica just told me he won a trip to Hawaii, and that's where he is now."

"I heard he's in hospital with alcohol poisoning, 'cause he went on a massive bender with a load of bikers from Mississippi."

"Apparently, he fell off his bike and broke his tailbone. His ass, in other words."

We were all hanging out at my house; me, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice, when she came out with the best one yet.

"Edward Cullen is dead!" she announced, distressed. "He died yesterday! His funeral is next week, and it's open-casket, so I'm told."

We burst out laughing.

"You would believe absolutely anything," Jasper howled, clutching his sides.

"You'd think Emmett would be a bit more upset, if his brother had just died," Rosalie pointed out, giggling. Emmett had joined our table at lunch today, and was just as loud and funny and inappropriate as always.

Alice thought about it for a second, and began laughing herself. "Duh," she said. "I didn't really think about that one."

"I doubt you think about any of the rumours you're told," I teased. "You're just so eager to depart them onto others you forget to check for the logic, or lack thereof."

"Oh, I just _really_ want to know what he's up to!" Alice whined. "I'm so interested!"

"So nosy, you mean," Jasper corrected her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"He's probably up in Port Angeles with Garrett and his other friends, or something," I suggested darkly, thinking about Tanya.

"I'd believe that over anything else," Jasper said.

"Unless he was arrested again, for racing?" Alice said hopefully.

"Arrested _again_? You're not even sure if he was arrested _at all_, Alice."

"Oh, whatever," she huffed. "One day, one of these rumours is going to be totally true, and you lot are going to laugh at me and call me gullible, and you will be so _wrong_. And I'll just point and laugh at your ignorance!" she smirked.

"Until that day," Jasper said, "I'll just point and laugh at your gullibility."

Alice fake-laughed, before ignoring Jasper completely. "I reckon we should discuss my party!" she beamed, changing the subject.

"Ooh, good idea," Rosalie said, sitting up eagerly.

"Am I still providing the music?" Jasper grinned, twirling his harmonica in his hand.

"People show up at parties to hear a mix of songs, Jasper, not the same one over and over again," Rosalie said scathingly, and Jasper rolled his eyes.

It was Alice's birthday on Saturday, and she was throwing a huge party at her house to celebrate. She had permission off her parents and a generous budget to contribute towards it, and she was determined that it would be the party of the year. Invitations were being sent out left, right, and centre, and everybody seemed to be looking forward to it. Alice revelled in the attention, and was in full planning mode.

Edward Cullen still hadn't made an appearance in the days leading up to the party, and when the big night arrived, Alice was in a tizzy of excitement.

"Ooh, wouldn't it be so great if he came here tonight?!" she squealed. "Everyone would be talking about it, ooh, I really hope he comes!"

She looked completely stunning, wearing a gold sequinned dress and amazing silver shoes, and Rosalie and I made sure that she knew that, as we put the finishing touches to our hair and makeup fifteen minutes before the party was due to start.

"Oh thanks girls, you two look incredible too!" she sang. Rosalie was wearing a pale pink dress, while I had managed to squeeze myself into a black, figure-hugging little number.

Rosalie excused herself to go to the bathroom, and Alice grabbed my arm the minute she had left the room.

"Bella," she said, her eyes alight with a kind of happy glow. "I was texting Jasper last night…"

I started to grin. "And…?"

"Well," she blushed, smiling like a maniac. "Well, he got really flirty with me…"

I squealed, and gave her a hug, having a fair idea on how big a deal this was to her.

"I mean, I know I kept denying it… but I've harboured a major crush on him, like forever," she admitted.

"I knew it!" I said smugly.

"I just didn't expect it! We were talking about random things, and then I started asking me what he bought me for my birthday, just kidding, and I dunno, then he started going on about birthday kisses…" Alice beamed. "I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, just in case… but I had to tell someone before I exploded!"

"That's really great, Al," I said. "I really hope it works out for both of you!"

"Thanks," she grinned. "But… do you reckon Rose would have a problem with it, if it did?"

I thought about it. "I don't see why she would. I can't see her making a big deal over it."

"Do you think I should talk to her about it first?"

"No," I decided, "just wait and see how things pan out with Jasper. If things… don't go as planned, then you can be disappointed without Rosalie trying to intervene… you know how she gets."

"Yeah, you're right," Alice agreed. Rosalie would more than likely try to force the two of them to talk about things if she knew, as she was the type of person who didn't believe in beating about the bush. "I'll see what happens tonight, so."

Two hours later, the party was well underway. I had been slightly abandoned, as Rosalie was chatting to her ex-boyfriend, Royce, and Jasper and Alice were standing awfully close to each other against the wall, talking. I had been watching them closely throughout the night; Alice looked so pretty and vibrant, and I couldn't see how Jasper could possibly turn her down.

I turned around, idly thinking of getting another drink, and bumped into Edward, who was standing right behind me.

I jumped. "Ugh, it's you."

"That's a nice welcome," Edward smirked. "Thought you'd be glad to see me."

"You do too much thinking then."

"I couldn't help noticing how short that dress is."

"I bet you couldn't."

"I'm a legs man, what can I say?"

I rolled my eyes and blushed. Thankfully, we were interrupted by Alice and Jasper, saving most of my embarrassment.

"Edward Cullen at my party," Alice said, looking quite starstruck. It was almost funny. "Thank you for coming!"

"No bother," Edward said, still staring at me. I blushed again, still feeling immensely awkward. Oblivious, Alice proceeded to wonder aloud if he had been let out of prison with just a caution.

Edward burst out laughing, and truly looked unreal when he smiled like that. "I wasn't in prison," he said. "Who told you that? Somebody who hadn't a clue what they were talking about, apparently."

Jasper looked pointedly in the direction of where Jessica Stanley was standing, and Alice hit him, grinning.

"Can I just ask then… where you _ever_ in prison -?"

"Alright, Alice," Jasper interrupted, rolling his eyes. "That's enough of you being nosy."

"I'm not being nosy, I'm just asking -"

"Come on, let's get you a drink," Jasper said, and dragged off a protesting Alice. I shook my head, grinning after the pair of them.

"So, how are things with Mike?" Edward asked, all fake-interested, and the smile quickly slid off my face. I fixed him with a glare.

"Do me a favour, and shut up."

"Ooh, trouble in paradise," he said, his lips starting to curl into his infamous smirk.

"I'm in paradise when your mouth isn't moving," I retorted.

"That's not the reception I usually get from girls."

I blushed again. "Edward, flirting with me is not going to get you anywhere."

"Who said I'm flirting with you?"

"I'm not stupid," I said, panicking at the thought that maybe I was imagining his innuendos.

Edward didn't reply; he just cocked his head to one side and gazed at me with those green eyes, smiling crookedly and patronisingly.

"Oh, shut up," I said, even though he hadn't said anything. "I'm so sick of you annoying me all the time. I'm getting a drink."

"Non-alcoholic?" he asked, as I was turning away.

"What?" I paused.

"No alcohol, I'm guessing," he said, shrugging. "Good girls like you don't drink, right?"

Then he walked away.

I growled under my breath, muttering insults I wished I could throw at him. I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a juice, and just for good measure, just to show Edward Cullen, I added some vodka to it.

* * *

A few drinks later, I was definitely quite tipsy.

I knew I shouldn't drink, purely because Edward Cullen assumed that I didn't, but I hated him thinking that I was just the boring new girl, the innocent little angel. I wanted to be interesting. I wanted to be _fun_. I wanted to show that Edward Cullen that there was more to me than what he saw.

After a half an hour of laughing with Rosalie, Alice and Jasper, I spied Edward sitting in a chair on his own, watching me. He was like Mr Darcy or something, I realised, all haughty and standoffish at a party. He stuck his tongue out at me, almost like he could hear what I was thinking, and I just threw him the V sign, watching him snigger.

"Now, now, Bella," boomed the familiar voice of Emmett from right behind me. "That's bold. Ten minutes in the naughty chair for you," he joked.

I laughed. "You're funny."

"I know."

I stumbled towards the kitchen, and Emmett followed me.

"What are you doing?"

"Refilling my drink."

"Don't you think you've had enough? I could tell you were drunk just by looking at you."

I turned around to both ask him when he turned into my father, and give out to him, when a massive wave of dizziness disorientated me.

"Woah," I said, clutching at my head.

"Woah," Emmett repeated, touching my arm. "Are you alright?"

"I feel a bit funny…"

"Well, don't get sick all over me, I only ironed this shirt this morning."

"Oh, well done," I muttered, trying not to gag, allowing Emmett to steer me towards the bathroom. Fortunately, there were two doors leading out of the kitchen, so I didn't have to walk past Edward Cullen and his quiet, smirking eyes.

I tripped a little entering the bathroom, vaguely aware of Emmett closing and locking the door. Thankfully, the wave of nausea had passed, so I wouldn't have to suffer the humiliation of puking in front of one of school's hottest guys.

"How are you feeling now?" Emmett asked, observing me.

"OK, I think," I said, moving to face him slowly. I caught sight of my reflection. "No, I'm not OK!" I exclaimed, and rushed to the mirror. My hair had gone mad, for no reason at all, and was frizzy and sticking up in all directions. "Look at the state of me!"

"I don't think you look half bad at all, darlin'," Emmett said, leaning against the door and smirking in a way that was so reminiscent of Edward. Although, when Edward smirked, there was always a touch of superiority to it, whereas Emmett just looked teasing.

"Hmm," I said, not really paying attention to him. I gave up on my hair after a few minutes, deciding sadly that there was just no hope for it, and turned to tell him we could rejoin the party. Typically though, I ended up tripping over my own feet, and fell against Emmett, whose arms shot out to catch me.

"Sorry," I apologised dazedly.

"No problem," Emmett grinned.

"You've a really hard chest," I couldn't stop myself from saying. The man was like granite.

"I could make a really inappropriate joke right now, derived from that sentence. But I won't."

I laughed, already having a fair idea of what the joke was.

Emmett put both hands on my waist, and my breathing picked up.

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously.

"Making sure you don't fall again," Emmett said innocently, but there was that smirk in his eyes. And I couldn't help but notice the fact his hands were only pressing me closer to him.

I wanted to protest. I really did. But close up, Emmett was just so gorgeous. His blue eyes and his dimpled smile were hypnotic, and only a very insane girl would be able to protest. I was frozen in place, my heart throwing itself against my ribcage.

"You are very drunk, Bella," he said, and his face was definitely moving closer to mine. His voice was beginning to take on a rather husky tone. "And I'm surprised… maybe you're not so sweet and innocent after all. Maybe you're a legend in disguise."

"Of course I'm a legend," I huffed, annoyed at his smugness, and at the fact those Cullens were assuming all the wrong things about me.

He chuckled. "You've definitely got something about you…"

His face was centimetres away from mine, and my breathing was all over the place at this stage. I couldn't think straight; I was still in my pleasant, drunken haze. But there were no sober objections in my brain, anywhere.

I watched as Emmett closed his eyes, and moved his head forward… my own eyes closed automatically, as his mouth pressed against mine.

The kiss was slow at first, gentle and teasing, soft… before it became playful; he was tracing his tongue lightly my lips, biting at them... and then it just kept building and building until it was hot and frantic and deep, and my fingers were in his hair and he was pulling me even closer.

He was an excellent kisser, and I couldn't help but succumb to him, unwilling to stop. I was breathless and flushed and holding onto him with all the strength I could summon, responding to his demanding and talented lips.

Eventually though, he pulled away. One of us had to. He was breathing heavily, his breath blowing on my face.

I felt dizzy, and this time not because of the alcohol.

"Sorry," he whispered, "that probably wasn't smart. But I couldn't help myself," he said, with a smirk so devilish it would put the devil himself out of a job.

I mumbled something completely nonsensical, still dazed and confused. It had been such a good kiss, and I hadn't been able to help reacting to him, or been able to pull away… did that mean I had feelings for Emmett? And what about Rosalie? I was sure she still liked him…

I was brought back to earth by Emmett sniggering at me. "You're so cute sometimes," he said, and I blushed. He moved in for another kiss, and I didn't object, once again; it was just a soft, firm brush against my lips, and then he stopped. In a quick movement, I was standing up properly, Emmett's arm around my waist supporting me.

"Come on, Bluebell," he said, "let's get back to this party, then."


	8. The Morning After

_Well, hot damn, that was one crazy mix of reviews. I didn't know I was creating such a scandal with Bella and Emmett, lol. Just trying something different! Well, hopefully this chapter will answer your questions and whatnot, hope you like it! And shout out to Jen, who rushed me into updating, hahaha :P_

**Chapter Eight: The Morning After**

**Bella**

I was woken up the next day by Charlie, who was saying there was someone at the door to see me.

"OK," I said hoarsely, trying to grab a hold of my surroundings, wondering how I ended up back here. The last thing I could remember was getting ready for Alice's party with her and Rosalie.

I sat up and waited for the world to stop spinning. I felt wretched, and I could only imagine what I looked like. Before I had a chance to get out of bed and try to control the damage before my visitor arrived, the door was opening, and Alice was walking in.

"Hey, girl," she said. "Just came to see how you are?"

I smiled and winced at the same time, as everything came rushing back. Edward. The drinking. Emmett. The kissing. Being driven home early by Alice, who just told my dad I was feeling a bit sick and helped me get to bed before he could realise that I had been drinking.

Gah.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Sorry for dragging you away from your party last night."

"Don't worry about it," she said, sitting down on the chair next to my desk, waving her hand dismissively. "It was still there when I got back."

"Was the house in much of a mess this morning?" I asked, grinning as Alice rolled her eyes.

"Jessica Stanley puked in my bath, but other than that, no major dramas," she said.

There was a pause. I could tell she was bursting to say something, and I couldn't hold my own news in for much longer.

"Alice. I did a bad thing."

"What?" she asked slowly, her eyes wide.

"I kissed Emmett Cullen," I admitted. "Last night."

"Oh," she said, looking surprised only for a moment. "But guess what else happened?"

"Al, I don't think you heard me," I began, confused by her lack of reaction.

"Bella, not one of my female friends who have ever come into contact with Emmett Cullen has not made out with him at one point. The man is irresistible. It's like he's got magnets in his lips."

I stared. "Did you…?"

She threw me a look. "Of course I did. It was ages ago, and I was drunk, and the next day it was just something we laughed about. Believe me, Bella, I would have been more shocked if we got to the end of this month and he hadn't at least _tried_ to kiss you."

"Oh," I huffed, "well." I collapsed on my bed again, thinking it all through. "But what about Rosalie?" I asked eventually, nervously. "She likes him…"

Alice sighed. "Yeah, she does. But last night… she tried to make him jealous. I told her it wasn't a good idea, but she didn't listen to me…" Alice rolled her eyes. "You see, last night, Emmett and Rosalie would have probably got it together. They've been flirting for ages now and he hasn't tried anything, and with Emmett, that means he really likes her. But she decided to make him jealous by hanging around with her ex all night, and Emmett doesn't play games like that, so he just told her if she wanted to flirt with other guys she could work away, because he wouldn't be interested."

I gasped. "Oh no."

"Yeah," Alice sighed. "So she kind of brought that on herself, I did tell her that Emmett would react like that…"

"Should I tell her about… what happened?" I asked. "I don't want to lie to her, or for her to find out from Emmett."

"Emmett won't mention it again unless you bring it up to him, so don't worry, she won't hear it from him. And if it didn't mean anything, and if it's not going to happen again… why tell Rosalie and only hurt her?"

"It would hurt her even more if she were to find out later," I said.

Alice nodded. "Tell her if you want, but make sure you're telling her because she has a right to know, and not because you're trying to alleviate your guilty conscience."

I paused, thinking about that. She was right. The only reason I would be telling Rosalie would be to make _me_ feel better. All it would really achieve would be hurting her feelings and making her angry with me, and I didn't want to do that.

I was broken out of my troubled thoughts by Alice clearing her throat.

"Anyway, I've been trying to say this all morning," she began, grinning. "Guess what?"

My eyes widened. "Jasper!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering that conversation.

Alice beamed. "You're not the only one who was getting kissed by a really hot guy last night!" she giggled.

"Oh my God!" I squealed, sitting up again. "That's brilliant, Alice, I'm so happy for the two of you! What happened?"

"Well, we were like Siamese twins all night, I mean, seriously, I couldn't get rid of him even if I had wanted to, and at one point we ended up alone in the kitchen and Jasper gave me a hug and said that was my birthday present, and then I pouted and said 'well I thought I was getting a better present than that' -"

I grinned.

"- so then he said 'I have something else in mind but I'm not sure how much you're interested' and then I said 'what if I've been interested for longer than you think' and he said 'really' and I said 'yes' and then he just looked at me started grinning and then…" Alice trailed off, beaming again, her eyes shining. "He's such a good kisser. So we were there, like, making out and it was totally awesome and then Rosalie walks in to see where we were."

My mouth fell open. "What?!" I couldn't believe I had missed out on all this drama.

"Yep," Alice said. "I nearly had a stroke. I was so afraid she was going to be angry at us but she just rolled her eyes and said 'I'm psychic, I knew this would happen. You two took your time', and then she left us alone and Jasper laughed and just started making out with me again and then he asked me out and he wants to take me on a picnic later which is _so_ romantic…"

I let her gush on about Jasper, delighted at how happy and excited she was. I was glad she finally got her prince in the end, and wasn't one of those victims of unrequited love.

My thoughts wandered back onto what I was going to do about the whole Emmett situation. I decided I was just going to have to talk to him in school, and see what he had to say for himself.

* * *

**Edward**

I was woken up, as usual, by Emmett thundering loudly into my room.

"Get your lazy ass up!" he said.

"Make me. It's Sunday, so go and annoy someone else," I mumbled into my pillow, wincing as Emmett threw the curtains open.

"Can't. Your name came out of the hat this morning."

"Oh, lucky me," I grumbled, stretching.

"What did you think of Shortie's party last night then?" Emmett asked, sitting himself down at my keyboard and hammering out a poor version of Mary Had A Little Lamb.

"It was as dull and boring as every other lame high school party," I answered, rolling my eyes and wincing at the sounds forced out of my poor keyboard.

"You know what your problem is, Edward?"

"Enlighten me."

"You're spoilt! You've been to so many of Garrett's legendary parties, that us folk in Forks just aren't enough for you any more."

I snorted. He was right, though.

"I thought it was a… _illuminating_ party, myself," Emmett said, and there was something brewing behind his tone. This was my cue to ask, you see, so I rolled my eyes again.

"What do you mean?" I sighed.

"I preformed a little experiment of my own, and I must say, the results were quite hot."

"What _are_ you talking about?"

"Bella," he said simply. I eyed him suspiciously, wondering where this was going.

"What about her?"

"Did you make any progress last night with her?"

"No… she went home early," I said slowly, not even bothering to point out how goody-goody and pathetic I thought that was.

"I see…" Emmett said, running his fingers along the keys, his face alight with mischief. I knew my brother well enough to know that he had done something he shouldn't have, and was now going to make me guess what it was. It was one of those annoying things he liked to do. I wasn't in the mood.

"I'll just talk to her in school," I said dismissively, turning around in bed so I was facing away from him.

"If you'll go to school at all."

"Emmett. I already had this from Mom and Dad, I don't need it from you as well."

"Fair enough." He let it go. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wasn't about to get another lecture, and I started to relax, letting my eyes close.

"So, I made out with Bella last night, anyway."

My eyes flew back open, and I froze. "What?!"

"Yup. I don't know who she's been practising on, but that girl knows what she's doing with that mouth of hers," Emmett laughed.

I couldn't move. I was literally shocked into silence. I sure as hell didn't see this coming.

I was pissed. And I wasn't sure why. So I looked for a reason to give out to Emmett.

"That wasn't part of the bet," I snapped.

"I know. I told you, it was my own little experiment, to check your progress. You can't be affecting her that much, if she's unable to resist me. I told you, change your tactics. Get your romance on - well, in your case, bad romance."

I rolled my eyes, still fuming. I couldn't quite place what I was feeling… was it betrayal? No, it couldn't be - that was stupid. Bella Swan wasn't mine. I didn't even want her to be. I told myself I was just angry at Emmett, for potentially wrecking my chances of winning this bet.

So he wanted to be sneaky… well, two could play at that game. I was not about to lose three hundred bucks to him.

And especially not because of Bella Swan.

* * *

**Bella**

I had butterflies when I parked outside the school on Monday morning. I didn't know why; probably because I had no idea what to expect from today.

I put my bag over my head to shield myself from the worst of the lashing rain, and dashed towards the shelter of the buildings. The first person I happened to bump into was Mike Newton, and we both blushed and practically ran away from each other. That was just so awkward now, and neither of us even wanted to go there. Avoidance was just easiest.

"Hey, Bluebell," said a voice behind me. I turned around.

"Oh, hey, Emmett." I smiled uncertainly up at him, not sure where I stood with him anymore. After he kissed me in the bathroom, he had proceeded to act like nothing had happened for the rest of Alice's party.

"So…" Emmett said, after a pause. "How are you?"

"Look, Emmett," I began, hating the awkwardness, yet not having quite prepared what I wanted to say.

"Relax, Bells," he cut across me, "I know what you're going to say. I think you're a cracking girl, totally a ten, but I would only break your heart if you were to give it to me. I just want to be friends."

I smiled, relieved. "You just took the words out of my mouth. So we're definitely cool now as friends, and this won't be awkward…"

"Nah, Bluebell," Emmett grinned. "Don't worry your pretty little head. We're as cool as ice."

"Good," I beamed, and gave him a hug. His huge arms crushed me against his granite chest for a minute, and then he let me go.

"Oh, and Emmett?" I asked, suddenly struck by an idea.

"Yes, darlin'?"

"Rosalie," I said. "She likes you. If you like her, then it wouldn't hurt to give her another chance, would it?"

I left him with that thought, heading to my first class, hoping he'd listen to me. As I was about to head into the classroom, I saw Edward Cullen strutting up the corridor, his hair wet and plastered to his head. He caught my gaze, but he looked away from me again, almost like _he_ awkward with me, too.

I wanted to roll my eyes. I headed into my class, muttering "_boys_" under my breath.

I didn't know whether to dread or look forward to Biology that day, so I felt a weird mixture of both. Edward really got on my nerves, yet there was some kind of magnetic pull about him, that just made me want to go back to him for more. I knew it was stupid… and I knew I was just setting myself up for a fall. I knew all that.

He was so late for class I had started to think he had ditched, and he shuffled into the room, muttering a half-hearted apology to a huffy Mr Banner. He sat next to me without looking at me, and spent the whole class slumped in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table in a vaguely irritating sort of way.

When the bell rang, he didn't move, and I stood up slowly, gathering my things together. I didn't think he was going to speak to me at all, and I felt a weird sense of anticlimax. I was so used to him needling me and refusing to shut up.

When I was just about to leave, I finally heard his voice.

"So were you going to tell me about you and Emmett, or do you think I can read minds?" he wondered aloud, staring moodily at the table. I froze.

"Oh. Eh. I don't know. Emmett told you, anyway, so… no big deal," I shrugged, with an attempt at nonchalance.

"You're right," he said, finally glancing up at me. "It isn't."

A painfully awkward, heavy silence descended on us then, and I was torn between running away and staying to find out why he cared about what happened with Emmett. I was hurriedly trying to make up my mind, when he stood up suddenly. I jumped a little.

"I'm going to Port Angeles," he said. "Do you want to come?"

"Oh!" I said, taken off guard. "Right now?"

"Yeah."

"What about school?"

"What about it?" he said, arching an eyebrow, as though daring me to make a fuss about missing a few classes. I wasn't about to give him another reason to call me a goody-two-shoes, so I didn't answer. "Are you going to come with me or not?"

I hesitated. "Why are you asking me to go?" I wanted to know.

He just looked at me. "Because I want you to."

"You can't always get what you want, Edward."

"I can try. You don't have to come with me, Bella, you can stay here in school and put up with the mind-numbing boredom, if you want to. I'm not stopping you."

He started to walk away, and I don't know what made me call him back. Maybe it was the fact that there was no trace of a patronising smirk, no glib remarks, no arrogance.

I found myself sitting on the back of Edward's motorbike ten minutes later, as we cruised our way to Port Angeles.


	9. The Street Party

_Sorry about the delay,the weather is horrible in Scotland at the mo and there was no way in hell I was hauling my ass through the sleet and ice to get to the library to use the computer, haha. Anyway, thank you for the reviews! They were fab. This chapter and the two after it are my absolute faves, I'd love to update them all at once, but no, one at a time... ;) hope you enjoy! xxx_

**Chapter Nine: The Street Party**

**Bella**

I had only been to Port Angeles a few times, and today it looked just like it always had done whenever I had taken the time to travel up there. The place it turned into at night time was almost a surreal memory to me, and I was struggling to believe it had really looked as cool and as amazing as I remembered.

Edward drove through a few side streets, steering his motorbike effortlessly, and we ended up in an empty looking road, complete with boarded up flats and closed down shops, graffiti, and a grubby looking bar. There were bikes parked in front of it, however, and cars all along the street. Edward pulled up into a free space.

"Where are we?" I asked, as I handed him back his helmet.

"Garrett owns this bar," he answered, undoing the zip on his leather jacket and running a hand through his hair. "He won't serve me drink, but he'll let me hang out."

Despite the dodgy looking exterior, inside the bar was very clean and bright and full of people. There were pool tables, air hockey tables, a jukebox, pinball machines… I smiled to myself. It was almost like a typical biker bar. There were heavily tattooed guys in leather and studs playing cards at one table, laughing raucously.

"Hey, Carmen," Edward greeted, and for the first time I noticed Kate's sister in a black corset and jeans, standing behind the brightly lit bar, mixing a drink.

"Hey, Edward," she grinned. "Hey, Bella. Nice to see ya again. Gar is in the back, go on through."

I followed Edward, who sauntered behind the bar like he owned it and ducked through a beaded doorway. There was a small room, which had another beaded door revealing a spiral staircase beyond it, and was mostly occupied by a large red leather couch, on which Garrett was lounging, smoking a cigarette and watching sports on a tiny television.

"Cullen!" he said, grinning and winking. "Ditching again. And you brought Bella!" he said delightedly, noticing me for the first time. "This must be a first, bringing the same girl up here with you, eh?"

"Oh, hardy haw," Edward said, rolling his eyes, and I felt a stab of annoyance. I didn't like hearing about the tribe of girls that had proceeded me. I didn't want to be registered in the same category as them, those desperate girls all out for a piece of Edward Cullen. I wasn't like them.

Edward threw himself on the couch, and I sat down next to him, crossing my legs.

"Did you hear about the street party tonight?" Garrett asked him, sitting back down himself.

"Yeah, I got a text about it," Edward shrugged.

"You sticking around for it? It should be laugh, and it's only around the corner from here."

"It's up to Bella," Edward said, swinging his head in my direction, a trace of a smirk on his face. "If her Daddy won't miss her…"

I threw my eyes to heaven.

"What do you say?" Garrett asked me hopefully, grinning.

"Sure," I said. "Why not?"

"Great! Oh, Ed, they're holding the next race tomorrow, we got eight guys signed up for it already. You interested?"

"I dunno," Edward said, robbing a cigarette from Garrett, along with his lighter. "I might just quit while I'm ahead."

"Yeah, quit before you come in second again," Garrett smirked.

"Keep talking, Gar," Edward said, "but I'm not the one who crashed three cars in drag races."

Garrett sighed and shook his head, and I laughed at his expression. I loved how comfortable I felt here, even though it was such an alien environment to me.

"So, where's the other half?" Edward asked.

"Kate? She's oiling herself up. She's the stripper here," Garrett explained to me.

"Oh!" I said, my eyes widening. "Right. Great."

There was a short pause, before both Edward and Garrett burst out laughing.

"I'm just joking, Bella," Garrett choked out. "I didn't think you'd believe me, she'll be so insulted over that…"

"Honestly, Bella," Edward chuckled.

I huffed. "Well, I don't know, do I?! How do I know what ye all do…" But I laughed too. "Tell Kate I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Kate suddenly bounced down the spiral staircase and into the room, grinning at us.

"Gar told me you were a stripper and I didn't realise he was joking," I said, smiling apologetically. Kate rolled her eyes and threw Garrett a look.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "You should let Gar tell you the story of when he used to pole dance in a gay bar…" she walked through the beaded door into the bar, smirking.

I eyed Garrett with half a smile on my face. "Was _she_ joking?"

"I wish," he muttered. "It was a few years ago, I had no money… I needed to earn somehow!" he said defensively, scowling at Edward, who had dissolved into laughter for the second time.

"How embarrassing," Edward sniggered. Gar just looked at him, and then turned to me.

"Bella, did you know that Edward here once had three girlfriends on the go?"

That sobered Edward up.

"At the same time?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Yep!" Garrett said, triumphant now the spotlight was off of him. "Two of them ran into each other at one of the street races and started a big catfight in the middle of the street, and Edward just watched with his hands in his pockets, unconcerned as ever! Then he went off to a party to see the other one!" Garrett revealed, chortling.

"Jeez, Edward, they told me you were a womaniser but it didn't quite register until right now," I said dryly.

"I was bored," Edward shrugged. "I like to experiment with people when I'm bored, just to see what happens."

For no apparent reason, that sentence stirred up an uneasy feeling in my gut, so I stored it away in my brain for later analysis.

Kate suddenly stuck her head in through the beads. "James is here," she hissed. "With his _friends_."

"Ugh, great. I thought I was rid of him for at least another month," Garrett said darkly. "And I thought I told him he was barred?"

"Well, I'm not going to be the one to remind him," Kate said, looking apprehensive.

"OK, eh… just get Benjamin to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't try anything funny. One foot wrong and he's out the door, and I don't care who he thinks he is."

"OK," Kate said, and left. Garrett exhaled loudly, and I noticed that even Edward had tensed.

"Who's James?" I asked, feeling like it was a stupid question.

"He's…" Garrett paused. "He's a nasty piece of work. He believes he can get any woman he wants, regardless of boyfriends or anything, so he likes to create all kinds of trouble. Carries a knife on him at all times, likes to show it off, isn't afraid of using it. He's got an official girlfriend, this redhead chick, Victoria, who doesn't seem to mind that he's a serial womaniser. Just like our Edward here."

"Don't compare me to him," Edward snapped. "I don't threaten girls the way he does."

"I was just joking," Garrett said, holding up his hands in front of him. "Bad joke. Anyway… James. He's got Victoria running his drug deals, and his idiot friend Laurent is like his bodyguard or something, but he's as thick as a plank of wood. Yet you wouldn't catch anyone picking a fight with him though."

I nodded, understanding why James's name had been a cause for tension now.

"Trust me," Garrett said. "He ain't a nice guy. You don't wanna go around giving James reasons not to like you."

* * *

The day passed by very quickly. I managed to sneakily borrow Garrett's phone when Edward wasn't paying attention, so that I could leave a message for Charlie saying I had just gone to Rosalie's and wasn't sure when I'd be back. I apologised for the short notice and couldn't help feeling bad, but I couldn't go back now, even if I wanted to. Edward was my lift.

The sky gradually darkened outside, and soon it was time to head over to the street that was hosting the party. We walked through the bar, and three people near the door caught my attention. A perfectly ordinary-looking guy was surrounded by a drawn and probably once very pretty redhead, and another menacing kind of guy. It had to be James and his crew.

James glanced up at me just as I was leaving, and caught my gaze. A chill washed down by spine, and I looked away hurriedly.

I left the bar with Edward, Garrett, Kate and Carmen, and we walked around the corner to the street parallel to the one we had been on, where the party was well underway. There were a lot of people there already, sitting on the pavement, clustered in groups, and a stereo was blasting out chart music, propped on a windowsill.

The five of us grabbed a spot on the pavement and just sat down, relaxing. We were later joined by Carmen's boyfriend, Eleazar, and to my annoyance, Tanya. We stayed there for about an hour, just chatting, and once again I found that I was really enjoying myself. I never thought that I could feel comfortable in a situation like this, or feel like I fit in.

Eventually, the street was packed and noisy enough that people had started dancing, and dark enough that the only lights were coming from phone screens, lighters, the dim and mostly dysfunctional street lights, and the rooms of some apartments around us. Some people were making it their mission to get extra lights from somewhere, so every now and then there would be an extra burst of light, as someone plugged in an outdoor lamp, or similar. But no one seemed really concerned.

I was laughing at Kate, who trying to persuade an uninterested Garrett to dance with her, using all sorts of bribery, when Edward suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist tightly. I looked at him questioningly, but he was staring past me, his jaw clenched.

"Hey," said a smooth voice, and I turned my head. It was James, looking right at me. "I was just wondering if this babe here wanted to come and dance with me." It didn't sound like a question.

"No, she wouldn't," Edward said, before I could even think of coming up with any kind of reply. "She's with me."

James's eyes locked with Edward's for a long moment, and then he smiled.

"My apologies," he said, and walked away. But he threw a glance over his shoulder at me.

"Terrific," Garrett muttered, after a pause. "Just what we were looking for. James on our backs."

"He won't cause too much trouble, surely?" I asked nervously, beginning to chew on my nails.

"James likes to get his own way," Edward said darkly, still staring in his direction. "Things get ugly when he doesn't." He met my eyes then, his arm still holding me firmly against him. "Bella… whatever he might say to you, don't do it. And don't leave my sight, seriously," Edward warned me, and I promised I wouldn't.

Garrett changed the subject, and I joined in the conversation without my earlier enthusiasm. I could feel him watching me.

James didn't bother us again for the rest of the party, which turned out to be as good as Garrett had promised. It looked set to continue on the same way all night, but then Edward spoke up.

"Right, I'm going home. I'm wrecked," he said, "and plus I've got school tomorrow," he added, smirking.

"Ah, yes, 'cause I know how dedicated you are," Garrett laughed.

"Yep, that's me," Edward grinned. "And Bella will need her beauty sleep before school too," he said, nudging me.

"She don't need much of it," Garrett said nicely, and I smiled at him.

"Aw, thanks, Gar!"

"Seriously, Bells, I don't want you to leave," Garrett said dramatically. "You're the sweetest thing Edward has ever introduced me to, and I fear he may let his stupidity take over and let a girl like you go, and I'll never see you again!"

I laughed at his theatrics, a little touched.

Garrett walked with Edward and I back to the bar, where the motorbike was parked, making me laugh by jokingly informing Edward of all the things he had to change about his personality in order to keep me interested. I did want to mention that Edward and I weren't even a _thing_ in the first place, as everyone liked to assume, but since Edward wasn't in a hurry to deny it, neither was I.

I didn't know what we were, really. I wouldn't have said _friends_… I wished I could get into his head and find out what he thought of me, and see if we were on the same page. He was just… _Edward_, to me. An enigma.

I didn't see it coming.

One minute, Garrett had stolen the spare helmet so that I couldn't leave, and Edward was chasing after him, laughing.

The next, my whole body tensed as I realised someone was right behind me. Strong arms grabbed me, and I could tell it wasn't a joke. I shrieked, and one hand was clapped over my mouth, while the other held down my arms.

"Hey, there, babe." James's smooth voice was right in my ear. I tried to struggle, but he was too strong. "I'm just letting you know… I'm staying in the Angeles hotel tonight. Room 125. I hope to see you there, because I don't like being disappointed…" he breathed, sending violent shivers down my spine. "And you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your little boyfriend, would you?"

Edward reappeared then, flanked by Garrett.

"Let her go," he growled, and he looked more dangerous than I had ever seen him. His jaw was clenched, his eyes were deadly, and his lips were curled almost into a snarl. The scar above his right eyebrow, the one that Alice had once mentioned casually, seemed more prominent than ever.

James released me easily, and I moved away from him rapidly, stumbling into Garrett, who put his arm around me.

"Don't you touch her again," Edward snarled, looking, despite the stories told about James, not the least bit afraid of him.

"I won't, unless she wants me to," James laughed, winking at me. "And I hope you're not threatening me, Cullen… I really hope you're not." He narrowed his eyes at him, and then me, before turning around and strolling away.

I only realised then that I was shaking.

Edward watched James go until he was certain he could turn his back to him, before examining me, genuine concern on his face, untainted by sarcasm.

"Are you OK, are you hurt?" he asked, frowning.

"No," I mumbled, answering both questions. Garrett helpfully transferred me from his arms into Edward's.

"What did he say to you?" he demanded.

"He told me his hotel room number," I said, clutching onto Edward like my life depended on it.

Edward's face darkened. "Damn it. I can't bring you here again, not for a while, anyway."

"Aw," Garrett protested.

"You know what James is like, Gar, I'm not taking a chance like that with Bella! If he sees her again... " Edward snapped, sounding stressed.

"We can't keep letting James win like this," Garrett said, shaking his head. "His behaviour is only getting worse."

"I know, and we'll figure out how to deal with him," Edward decided, "but right now all I want to do is get Bella the hell away from here." He tightened his grip around me. "Come on."

Garrett handed me back the helmet he had robbed, and I was quickly bundled back onto the bike, my hands locked around Edward's chest.

I buried my face in his shoulder, perhaps holding on a bit tighter than was necessary.


	10. The Gift

_Thank you for reviewing, people! Lurve to Eimear, just because. I can't wait for you to read this chapter, so I won't ramble on, off you go :)_

**Chapter Ten: The Gift**

**Bella**

We didn't say much to each other as Edward dropped me home; outside the driveway, so Charlie wouldn't hear the engine.

"Thanks, Edward," I muttered, handing him back his helmet, and hoping he knew that it wasn't just for the lift.

"No problem," he said. "Night."

"Night." I headed into my driveway, listening to Edward's motorbike roaring away until it faded from my hearing. Charlie was asleep in his armchair, he must have been waiting up for me.

"Dad, wake up," I said loudly, and he jerked awake.

"Mmph? Bella?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm home. Sorry it's so late, we never realised the time. Go on up to bed, that chair can't be good for your back."

Ten minutes later I was lying in bed, listening to the snores coming from Charlie's room, thinking about Edward.

I had given up on trying to figure him out. I had given up on trying to work out his hidden agendas, his motives. Despite the way he really got on my nerves, I would still talk back to him when I should ignore him, and I still jumped on the back of his motorbike when I should stay away.

He was the school badass, the school Casanova, the guy I had been warned time and time again to stay away from. By my friends, who were all looking out for me, and even by Edward's own brother.

And I wasn't listening. I was worryingly coming to realise that Edward Cullen was in my head. He thought something about me, so I straightaway set out to prove him wrong. I shouldn't care what he thought about me. It shouldn't get to me when he thought less of me for something. I should be able to just brush his remarks off my shoulders.

I didn't know how, when or why, but he had crawled right under my skin and into my brain.

I had the feeling that I would regret it, but I just didn't want to turn back now. I didn't want to completely ignore him. I didn't want him to stop randomly inviting me to Port Angeles. I wanted to see where this would go, what would happen, and I didn't want to listen to anyone's warnings or well intentioned advice.

Edward Cullen was a gorgeous, intriguing mystery, and I just couldn't seem to help myself around him.

He wasn't in school the next day, and even though it was crazy, I felt a little disappointed. I wondered had he gone back up to Port Angeles without me, and felt a curious mix of jealously and resentment at the thought. I tried to suppress my feelings, and to not think about him, but it was near impossible.

Alice cornered me first thing, her hands on her hips.

"_Where_ the _hell_ did _you_ disappear to yesterday?!" she demanded, but I could tell she already knew. Someone would have noticed Edward's motorbike was missing, and Alice would have put it together.

"I went to Port Angeles with Edward," I confessed.

"I knew it!" she hissed. "Bella! What is going on with you two?!"

"Nothing," I shrugged. "Not a thing, honestly. But I do have something to tell you -"

"What, what?" Alice asked, cutting me off in her eagerness to hear it.

"- but I'll tell you after school, with Jasper and Rose, OK?" I said, unable to help myself from grinning at her outraged expression.

"You expect me to wait all day for gossip gold -?"

"It's a long story, and I have to go to class," I said, knowing I was driving her mad. "I promise, I'll tell you later."

Alice didn't let me get away with it all day though, and proceeded to annoy me throughout, guessing inaccurately. She had also informed both Jasper and Rosalie of my sin of withholding information, and I had the two of them questioning me curiously, too.

I still couldn't see why anything to do with Edward Cullen was must-know gossip. Maybe it was because I was still new, or something. Or maybe it was because he was treating me so differently, compared to all the stories about the other girls before me.

After school we headed to Alice's house, her fit to burst with impatience and curiosity. I waited until we were all settled, complete with the noticeable change of Alice sitting in Jasper's lap on the pink bean bag chair. I launched into the story of last night, all the details still fresh in my mind, including how scared I had been when James had grabbed me. There was a stunned silence when I was finished.

"How sweet!" Alice piped up suddenly. "He protected you!"

"I really don't like the sound of that James guy, Bella. I don't think you should go back to Port Angeles with Edward again," Rosalie said, looking worried.

"Edward said he wouldn't be taking me back anyway, for a while…" I shrugged. "Trust me, I'm in no hurry to put myself in James's way again."

"I just can't believe you went out with Edward again," Jasper said. "Do you not listen to us when we advise you against it?" he teased, and I felt guilty, despite the fact he was only joking with me. I hoped he was, anyway.

"I know, I know," I said ashamedly, looking at my feet. "But I'm just so intrigued by him, you know?"

Both of the girls nodded fervently, understanding me, but Jasper threw his eyes to heaven.

"If I may be blunt," he began, "I think he is an arrogant jerk-off who is just trying all sorts of ways and means to get into your pants, Bella."

Alice hit him on the shoulder, her mouth open in indignation.

I listened to them bicker, Alice on the defence and Jasper for the prosecution, and my heart sank a little. What if Jasper was right? What if I was just being played for a fool here, and Edward was only looking to see what he could get from me?

I sighed. I was always asking myself the same questions. I never knew the answers. I was relying on my friends for advice, and when they gave it to me, I just ignored it and fell at Edward's feet.

I was an idiot. And I didn't know what to do now.

The subject smoothly moved on from one Cullen to the next, as Rosalie brought up a conversation her and Emmett had had. It seemed as though he had taken my advice, and they were back in flirt-mode. Rosalie was acting coy, but I could tell she was delighted things had worked out this way.

I felt a stab of guilt; I hadn't gotten around to telling her about Emmett and I, as the whole Edward thing had driven it out of my mind. Another complication.

The afternoon passed away easily, as we all just hung out doing absolutely nothing at all, but having a laugh anyway. The whole time though, I had this sick, twisting feeling in my stomach that I couldn't seem to shake. I wasn't sure what it was a result of, but I felt on edge. Alice noticed and asked if I was OK, and I brushed her off, saying I was completely fine.

I still had that feeling when I was saying goodbye, and when I was driving home. As I was pulling into my driveway, I nearly crashed into a shiny silver motorbike, parked obnoxiously in the way of my truck. I looked out of my window, and there was Edward Cullen, sitting on my doorstep. He waved at me, smirking, and I rolled my eyes. What the hell was he doing here?

I was too busy getting out of my truck to notice that sick feeling had disappeared.

"Your damn bike is in my way," I called, putting my hands on my hips. He stood up and started strutting towards me. He waited until he was standing in front of me, a little too close for my liking, until he spoke.

"Yeah, I noticed you nearly steamrollered over it."

"It would have been your own fault."

"Probably. I still would have sued, though."

"Yeah, yeah. What are you doing here?"

"I was bored. Emmett was annoying me."

"And I'm your first choice?"

"Not really. But I chose you anyway."

"Aw," I said, sarcastically. "I'm flattered. Don't tell me you're turning on the charm all of a sudden, Cullen."

He grinned. "You could act a little more gracious to me. I did save your ass last night."

"Hmm," I said, not wanting to admit that I did feel grateful to him for taking control of the situation.

"So anyway, Bella…" he said, running his fingers along the light stubble on his jaw. "There's something I've been wanting to do for quite a while… and I was wondering if you'd like to do it with me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked warily, my heart speeding up a little.

"How high is your pain threshold?" he asked randomly, raising an eyebrow.

"High enough to endure your company every day," I couldn't help replying.

He just grinned again. "Hop on the bike, sweetheart. I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine. Bob."

"Who the hell is Bob?"

"Come with me, and you'll find out."

* * *

Bob, it turned out, ran a tattoo parlour.

"Oh, hell no," I said, when Edward parked outside it. I had actually really enjoyed the motorbike ride today; maybe I was getting used to it. "I'm not getting a tattoo, Edward, you can forget it."

"I never said anything about tattoos," Edward said, his green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Well then, what are we doing at a freaking tattoo -"

"Just trust me!"

"_That's_ the funniest thing I've heard all day. Why should I?"

He looked at me exasperatedly, his eyes patronising me. "If you didn't trust me, you wouldn't have come to Port Angeles with me yesterday. And you wouldn't be here now. So stop going on all the time, please, you're giving me a constant headache."

I felt like a two year old being chastened by their father.

"Whatever," I huffed, oh-so-maturely, and followed Edward into the tattoo parlour, dragging my feet like a petulant child.

A heavily inked and pierced guy, with straggly brown hair and a beard to match, looked up from behind the pine counter when we both walked in. It was a small room, with pictures of all kinds of tattoos adorning the walls, and another door was leading away into what looked like a load of booths, where I could hear the noise of electric needles. I tried not to feel faint.

"Edward!" the guy greeted, with a toothy grin. "No appointment, as usual," he said, pretending to be annoyed. "What can I do for ya?"

"Hey, Bob. I wanna get my eyebrow pierced," Edward said, and I looked at him in surprise.

"Yep," Bob said, writing something in a notebook. "Can do. And can I help the lady…?"

I jumped when I realised he was talking about me. "Oh! Eh…" I hesitated, looking at Edward uncertainly.

"If you want a piercing, Bella, I don't mind paying," Edward said, shrugging. "But I'm not going to pressure you into it," he added, smiling quite genuinely at me. I was surprised for the second time in five minutes. "Promise," he said.

"Oh, well," I said, stalling for time, thinking about it. I had ruled out getting myself a tattoo already, not liking the idea of that much pain, but I hadn't ruled out piercings… I felt excited, suddenly. I had always kind of entertained the notion of getting my bellybutton pierced, but just never thought seriously about doing it. But I was here now, and if Edward was paying…

I thought briefly about what he said, about not pressuring me. I was definitely shocked he had used that term, because that was really what he had been doing for the past while… peer pressure. Making me do stuff just to seem cooler, to be accepted by him. I knew the first rule of that is not giving in… but from experience, it was definitely hard to just walk away when Edward Cullen was using such patronising eyes.

"Any piercing in particular you're thinking of?" Bob prompted. "Ear? Eyebrow? Nose? Tongue? Lip? Nipple? Bellybutton?"

"I think she mentioned wanting to get her nipple pierced," Edward said, grinning.

I snorted, coming out of my reverie. "Yeah, you wish," I said, rolling my eyes. "I think… my bellybutton," I decided.

"Sure thing," Bob said, writing that down too. "We're not busy, so I'll fit you both in right now. Follow me…"

Edward and I walked along after Bob, who led us into a spacious booth, complete with a leather recliner chair, a stool, a mirror, and yet more pictures.

"I'll be back in a second," Bob said, and left us alone.

"So, why don't _you_ get your nipple pierced while you're here, Edward," I suggested smartly.

"I already do."

"What?" I did a double take. I had seen him topless, and I sure as hell hadn't noticed _that_. "No, you don't!"

He smirked at me, like he knew I had been ogling his chest that one time. "I used to," he said, "but it was too uncomfortable, so I took it out and it scarred. Do you want to see the scar?" he offered, tugging at the hem of his t-shirt.

"No thanks, I believe you," I said, shaking my head. I didn't fully trust myself around Topless Edward. I also kept forgetting this was _the_ Edward Cullen I was talking to - the guy who was full of surprises. "So how come you know Bob so well?" I asked, for I had been wondering about that since we arrived.

"I used to work here," Edward shrugged.

"Oh. How come you don't anymore?"

"'Cause my attendance was just like school," he answered, and I nodded.

"What the hell is it that you do, when you can't be bothered going to school or work?" I wondered aloud.

Edward shrugged again. "Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" I pressed, cringing at the fact that I was performing an Alice-style interrogation, but unable to help it.

"The kind of stuff you do when you're not at school or work," Edward said mysteriously, before sticking his tongue out at me. Bob re-entered the room before I could reply.

"Who wants to go first?" he inquired. Edward and I pointed at each other simultaneously, and Bob laughed. "How about ladies first?" he said to me, and I cursed whoever invented that saying.

"Sure," I said, with a fabulous attempt at nonchalance. "I'll go first."

I hopped onto the chair and lay down, as Bob sat on a spindly stool beside me, fiddling with lethal looking instruments. I picked out the piercing I wanted, which was a pretty diamante stud, and nervously pulled up my shirt to expose my stomach, feeling self-conscious of my too-pale skin. And I was all too aware of Edward standing right there, watching.

"Ready?" Bob asked, and I nodded, taking a deep breath and preparing myself for it to be sore. I let my head fall backwards and my eyes close, not particularly wanting to watch him pierce a hole in my flesh, and I suddenly felt Edward taking my hand and squeezing it. I squeezed it back.

There was a bolt of pain, followed by stinging, and Bob declared me done.

"Go have a look," he said. I gingerly climbed off the chair, wincing a little at the stinging, my hand still in Edward's, and faced the mirror. The little fake diamond glinted and twinkled at me, and I smiled delightedly.

"Oh, it's so cool!" I said, letting go of Edward's hand and examining my stomach. It was still stinging, but I knew that would pass eventually. I was vaguely aware of Edward sitting himself in the seat for his turn, but I was too busy posing in the mirror, examining my new piercing from all angles.

"Like it?" Bob grinned, preparing whatever tool he was going to use on Edward now.

"Love it," I beamed. My eyes fell onto Edward, who was sitting back in the chair like he owned it, watching me with his smirking eyes. "What do you think?"

"It's hot," he said, and I blushed.

I let my shirt fall back down, resisting the urge to tie it into a knot so as to show off my new piercing, and watched as Bob established which eyebrow Edward wanted done. He was drumming his fingers against the side of the chair, almost nervously, and I found myself moving forward and taking his hand again. His eyes closed.

Ten minutes later, Edward had a completely sexy silver bar in his left eyebrow, and we were leaving the shop, shouting our goodbyes to Bob.

"So how much do I owe you…?" I said, as we approached the motorbike.

He waved his hand through the air. "Nothing. Consider it a gift. You can thank me now, if you want," he said, and whipped around, so that I nearly crashed into him. Why did he insist on standing too close to me all the time? He had almost no sense of boundaries.

He puckered his lips at me, his eyes teasing.

"You want a kiss?" I said, raising my eyebrows incredulously.

"Just a little one," he replied, grinning wickedly.

"Dream on," I laughed, walking around him. "It takes more than half-assed charm and random gifts, Edward Cullen."

He turned to face me again, pouting, and I just ignored him. I didn't know what strategy he was trying now. He had changed from antagonising me whenever he could, to flirting and flattery. I knew I shouldn't trust it, or fall for it, so I couldn't help being wary.

If he thought I was just going to throw myself into his open arms, he had another thing coming.

But I had to admit… I liked these new developments. Ever since Emmett kissed me, and ever since the incident with James in Port Angeles, Edward's attitude had changed towards me. I was more curious than ever, now, and I wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

I tried not to think of that old saying. The one about curiosity killing the cat.


	11. The Piano

_Thanks for the reviews!! Now, some bad news... I may be able to update a chapter tomorrow. After that though might be a problem, I don't know if I'll be able to update for a few weeks. But stick with me. I'll get it finished over the hols so there'll be no excuses for updating after that ;D anyway, enjoy this one. I DID._

**Chapter Eleven: The Piano**

**Bella**

As I got ready for school the next day, I deliberately wore low-rise jeans and a short t-shirt that sat just above my bellybutton, eager to show off my new piercing. I was so proud of it, and really glad I had gotten it done. I should have done it sooner.

I arrived bang on time to school - which was a first, as I usually was too late or too early most days - and found Alice practically jumping up and down with excitement next to my usual parking space. She beamed at me in greeting.

"Hey, Alice," I grinned, jumping out of the truck. "What's new?"

"I just saw Edward Cullen arrive on his motorbike, and _guess what_?"

"He has his eyebrow pierced?" I pretended to guess.

"How did you know?!" Alice pouted, disappointed the element of surprise was gone. "Ah well, doesn't matter. I must say, it really adds to both his danger and sex factor. It suits him fabulously. And Jessica Stanley was just telling me that he did it himself last night because Emmett dared him to. Imagine piercing yourself in the eyebrow!" Alice exclaimed, shuddering.

"That's not true," I snorted.

"And how do _you_ know?" Alice demanded, indignant.

"Because I was there when he got the piercing," I blurted.

She goggled at me. "What?!"

I pointed at my stomach, and she goggled at that too. I saw it click in her brain as she put it together, as only Alice could.

"Oh my God. You got a piercing with Edward Cullen. Oh my God."

"It was fun. He paid for it and everything," I told her, amused by her expression of amazement.

"What's going on?" Rosalie appeared at our sides, frowning concernedly at Alice, who was still gawping at my stomach.

"Hey, Rose," I greeted, and Alice just pointed wordlessly at my piercing. Rosalie followed her gaze, her eyebrows raised.

"I didn't know you had your bellybutton pierced," she said to me interestedly, still looking confused by Alice's expression.

"She got it done yesterday," Alice announced. "_With Edward Cullen_."

Rosalie's mouth fell open too. "No way!" She looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded. I was still amused at Alice's theatrics over the whole thing, so there was a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Edward has his eyebrow newly pierced," Alice informed Rosalie. "The two of them are freaking _piercing buddies_."

I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"This is unbelievable," Alice shook her head. "All these years we've been at school with Edward Cullen, and we hear all these stories and we think we have some idea of what he's like… and then Bella moves here, and he's acting like a totally different person!"

"Dude," Rosalie said, staring at me with wide eyes. "What _have_ you done to Edward Cullen?"

* * *

**Edward**

I couldn't help noticing that people were staring at my eyebrow all day, and whispering behind their hands - it was pathetic. Didn't these people have anything better to do rather than discuss and analyse my every move?

Probably not.

I managed to hear snatches of the gossip flowing around the school; they had all seen Bella's piercing too, and apparently put two and two together. How clever they all were.

I had noticed Bella earlier, by her truck, with her friends. She'd been wearing these tight little jeans and a short t-shirt. I hadn't been in school on her first day, but Emmett had described her to me, and said that she was wearing baggy clothes, the kind that celebrities would wear to remain inconspicuous as they were running to the corner shop to buy condoms.

She hadn't wanted to be noticed when she first came here, but she wanted to be noticed today.

I _had_ to be having some sort of an influence on her. I was convinced she wasn't the same girl who had first moved here a few weeks ago, all quiet and shy and desperate to blend into the wallpaper. Well, she was the same _girl_, but I was just bringing her out of her shell.

I had tentatively begun trying my hand at bad romance, and I was convinced I was doing a terrible job. She laughed at me when I asked for a kiss. That had just been painful - I was so not doing that again in a hurry. I just knew I had to prove to her that I wasn't all jerk-off, like I had been acting for the past while.

A part of me was wondering whether or not I was going too far, though; romancing her and gaining her trust, only to throw it all away at the end of it all, just for a few hundred dollars. It seemed… cruel. Twisted. I would win the bet, but I wanted to remain friends with her, if I could.

The realisation that I actually kind of liked Bella Swan was beginning to dawn on me.

She was feisty. Stubborn as hell. Witty. Rather hot in those jeans.

But I didn't _like_ like her, just to be clear. I didn't mix business and pleasure, and to me, Bella Swan was just business.

I walked up to her in the cafeteria at lunchtime, just to create further scandal. She was standing in the line, evidently still deciding on what she wanted, and I casually skipped the queue. I could feel nosy eyes watching us, sneaking glances and nudging each other.

"Nice piercing," I said, shoving myself into the space next to her.

She smiled. "Thanks. Nice piercing yourself."

"Why, thank you," I smirked.

"Any particular reason why you skipped the now irate queue to talk to me?" she wondered, raising her eyebrows.

"Well," I drawled, "I wanted to know if you felt like coming to my house after school."

Emmett would be out, and I wanted to know what would happen when I got her all alone.

"What?" she said, looking as though she thought she hadn't heard me correctly.

"My house. After school."

"Why?" she threw at me.

"Why not?" I countered.

She paused. "Because I don't know what you want from me, and I don't want to be used."

I was taken aback for a second by her honesty. She was holding my gaze now, her brown eyes blazing, and I didn't know why I said what I did.

"Bella, ask yourself this," I said. "Compare the Edward Cullen they talk about, to the one you're getting to know. Are they exactly the same?"

She just looked at me.

"The real Edward Cullen hangs out at my house after school," I shrugged, still not knowing what all this _real_ Edward Cullen stuff was coming from. "You can be there, if you want."

I thought she was going to stand there all day, assessing me, but then she nodded.

"OK," she said.

"OK," I repeated, suddenly blasted by an unexplainable guilt. "I'll see you later, then."

I walked away, the stares making me increasingly paranoid. I was trying to ignore the little voice in the back of my head, the one I usually managed to block out, but it was yelling at me today.

I was just lying to myself, as well as lying to Bella. The _real_ Edward Cullen liked to mess around with people if it meant winning money. How much would the _real_ Edward Cullen be interested in Bella Swan if there were no bet existing?

Who the hell was the _real_ Edward Cullen, anyway?

* * *

**Bella**

Oh my God, he just asked me to go to his house with him.

To hang out. Just hanging out.

I wanted to ask Alice's advice, and Rosalie's, but I already knew what they were going to say. They'd advise against it, tell me not to go, tell me not to trust him. I would just listen to their advice, but go and do it anyway. Just like all the other times. I hadn't consulted the girls every time Edward showed up at my door wanting me to go somewhere with him, or asked if I wanted to skip class with him.

I felt a wild mix of emotions; nervousness, excitement, confusion, apprehension, curiosity… I had a list of reasons not to go, and some voice in my head out-screaming them and telling me to just see what would happen.

I had already decided what to do though. My internal debate was raging, but it was already decided that I was going. I was going to Edward Cullen's house after school. To hang out.

"You coming back to ours?" Rosalie asked, after the last bell rang, and the school was beginning to evacuate for the day.

"I'm going to someone else's house today," I confessed quietly, all too aware of Alice and Jasper waiting on us nearby, and not wanting a full interrogation.

"You have other friends?" Rosalie choked, pretending to be horrified.

I laughed. "I wish it weren't so."

"Who's stealing you away from us, then?" she asked, but then her eyes widened. "You're going to Edward's, aren't you?!" she guessed excitedly.

"Ssh!" I said, flapping my arms at her. "You'll set Alice off."

"Who said my name?" Alice had moved closer to us; it seemed she had an instinct that drew her close to people who had information worth knowing.

Rosalie just smirked at me. "Doesn't matter, Al. Come on, we're going."

"Don't be a bitch, wait for Bella!"

"Bella has something else to attend to, which she is going to ring me and tell me about later," Rosalie said, with a pointed look at me. I nodded, grinning.

"What is it? What is she doing?" Alice looked torn between questioning me and finding out from Rosalie, but before she had a chance to decide, Jasper had taken her hand.

"See you later, Bella," he said amusedly, dragging Alice along.

"But -"

"Bye, guys!" I said, fighting the urge to laugh. Rosalie could not have been less subtle, and Alice couldn't be more nosy; I felt a strong burst of affection for my friends.

And along came the guilt. They _were_ only looking out for me, by warning against Edward. Any people who were worth being called friends would warn you against the guy with the bad reputation.

Damn Edward, for being so attractive and annoying and annoyingly mysterious.

"Well, sweetheart, are you ready yet?"

Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear.

I turned around, and there was Edward, smirking at me expectantly.

"Yes," I said, trying to act all casual, as though I went to his house every day.

"D'ya want to ride on the bike? I can drop you to school tomorrow morning?"

"Nah, I'll just follow you in my truck," I said, thinking I should probably limit my motorbike riding until when it was necessary. I'd hate for anyone Charlie might know to see me sitting on the back of it, and wonder if he knew.

"Fine," Edward shrugged. "Well hurry up then, 'cause if you fall behind and get lost, I won't be sending out a search party."

I huffed. Charming.

Despite Edward weaving through the traffic irritatingly, I managed to keep up with him enough to follow him directly to his house. The last time I had been here I had arrived on the back of Edward's bike at around five in the morning, so my memory of how you got there was a bit sketchy.

I parked my rusty and rattling old truck next to the shiny motorbike and a silver Volvo self-consciously, noting the absence of Emmett's jeep. Had Edward known Emmett would be out today? Did he plan on me coming over in advance?

Edward was already strolling towards his house when I climbed out of the truck, so I followed him, fidgeting nervously. I had no idea what hanging out with Edward Cullen meant. Or the _real_ Edward Cullen, as he had said himself. I wondered who that guy was.

I caught up with him as he was unlocking his front door, and he held it open for me. I walked inside, admiring the décor once again. Whoever designed it had nice taste.

"So, where's Emmett today?" I asked, anxious to fill the loud silence that descended once Edward had closed the door.

"I think he's trying out for the football team," Edward said, rolling his eyes. His expression changed suddenly, and became rather hostile. "If you want, though, I'll invite you over here on a day when I know he'll be home, next time."

"What do you mean?" I demanded, bewildered.

"Is Emmett's absence such a big disappointment to you?" Edward asked icily, raising his eyebrows. I was still confused as to why he was acting like a tool all of a sudden, and I was immediately defensive.

"I don't care where Emmett is, I was just wondering. There's no need to attack me over it," I snapped.

"Are you sure you don't care where he is?" Edward sneered.

"Yeah, I'm sure, you total -" I stopped suddenly, realisation hitting me like a slap in the face. "Oh, I get it. You think I'm only here to see Emmett."

Edward just frowned at me.

"You're jealous?" I guessed, and his expression changed to outrage.

"You wish, Bella. I don't care what's going on with you and Emmett."

"It sure as hell looks to me like you do, Edward, or you wouldn't be acting like such a jerk-off now."

"I'm not acting like anything," he growled, striding away from me. I followed him.

"I'm not acting like anything," I imitated his moody tone to prove my point, and he snorted.

"Really mature," he drawled sarcastically.

"Yeah, almost as mature as you having a tantrum for no reason. I'm not interested in Emmett," I told him. He just looked at me.

"Do I care?" he shrugged.

"I don't know," I said, raising my eyebrows. "Do you?"

There was a silence, and I refused to drop his gaze. My heart was throwing itself painfully against my ribcage, having palpitations at the thought that Edward might be jealous of Emmett and I having kissed that night. Would that mean he liked me? As in, properly, and not just enough to endure me for a day? And what would happen then if he did?

Edward sighed, and rolled his eyes. "I'm not in the mood for this."

"Well, you started it."

"Mature, yet again."

"Whatever, Edward. Whatever."

There was another pause, and I found my eyes wandering around the room. There was a bookcase and a couch and a beautifully woven rug on the floor, but the main piece in the room was definitely the grand piano. It was huge. Edward caught me looking at it, and raised an eyebrow. The one with the piercing.

"That has to beat the keyboard, right?" I asked, hoping he'd allow me to change the subject. I didn't come to his house just to argue with him.

"Yeah," he said, sighing again and heading towards it. "I only play it when there's nobody in the house. You can hear it in every room."

"Self conscious?"

"Something like that. I just want to be left in peace while I'm playing," Edward muttered, sitting himself down on the bench and running his fingers lightly along the keys. I wondered whether he was going to play something for me, or whether he'd feel too self conscious to. I moved closer to the piano, and then froze.

Edward suddenly launched into Clair de Lune, and my mouth fell open. The way he played was effortless, his fingers moving across the keys like he wasn't even thinking about it, like it was natural to him. The sweet music filled the room, rich and pure, raising goose bumps along the surface of my skin. Edward's expression was clear, peaceful, content; there was no trace of sarcasm or condescension in his face. No trace of jerk-off was apparent. I was mesmerised.

When the music ended, the final notes hung in the air, reverberating in my ears.

"Wow," was all I could say, when I had recovered.

Edward looked up at me, like he had just remembered I was there. He shrugged at my compliment, his eyes returning to the keys.

"Seriously, Edward," I said, my skin still tingling. "That was amazing. I couldn't make a piano sound like that."

He smirked suddenly, and looked up at me again. "It's not that hard to learn," he said. "I'll teach you."

"Teach me?" I said warily. Knowing me, I'd probably cause the piano to spontaneously combust just by touching it.

"Yeah," he said, with a smile that was impossible to trust. "Come here, I'll show you."

I reluctantly moved closer to the piano. "Scoot over, then," I said, indicating the small bench he was sitting on. He didn't move, and I raised my eyebrows, waiting expectantly. He just gazed at me, and then patted his lap.

"Sit."

"On your lap?" I stuttered, my heart rate kicking up a gear.

"Yep," Edward smirked. "Problem?" His eyes were almost daring me to object, and I inhaled deeply. I walked slowly towards him, keeping my eyes locked on his, my heart thudding so loudly I was surprised he couldn't hear it. He sat back, giving me room to sit down, still with that smirk on his face.

I perched gingerly on his lap, unable to believe what I was doing. I could feel Edward's breath blowing against my ear, and he shifted underneath me, his arms reaching around me and taking my hands. He covered them with his, and placed them on the keyboard.

"Any particular song you want to request?" he murmured in my ear, and I tried to suppress a shiver.

"Don't mind," I said, and I watched as his fingers spread out to cover all of mine. He pressed down lightly, and _In The End_ by Linkin Park began to flow from the piano. Edward guided my fingers along the keys, his breath tickling my ear the whole time.

My concentration began to slip; I was too aware of Edward. Sometimes I thought I was imagining it, but I was sure that he was smelling my hair, nuzzling at my neck.

I didn't think about what I was doing. All my instincts, or whatever they were, told me to tilt my head to the side, and that's what I did. I felt my hair falling from my shoulder, exposing my bare neck, and my heart spluttered and jerked as I felt his warm breath on my skin.

Edward kissed my neck. My eyes closed, and everything else was forgotten… my hands lay limp on the keyboard, and I barely registered as Edward intertwined our fingers… all I could feel were his lips, running along the surface of my neck, leaving a trail of fiery tingles. My head fell back against his shoulder as I felt him bite me lightly, and my fingers clenched around his when he started sucking on my skin.

It would leave a mark. I didn't care. I didn't want him to stop.

I couldn't think anymore; I was overcome by urges and wants and needs and all kinds of things I didn't previously realise had existed. I wanted more. I wanted to kiss him. The voice of sensibility, the one I always listened to, had been drowned out to a faint whisper. I wanted to listen to the voice telling me to turn around and kiss him.

"Bella…" Edward whispered against my skin, and I nearly combusted. "Turn around…"

No need to tell me twice. I felt all my muscles lock into position, preparing to twist me in his lap the few inches I needed to face him… my heart was beating way too fast, my breathing was unsteady and shallow, and both of them sped up even further with anticipation…

An unwanted noise penetrated my haze. A door. The front door. Banging. I was confused. Why would it bang, unless someone was coming in…?

Edward tensed suddenly, as though he had heard it too. That meant I can't have imagined it.

"I'M HOME!" bellowed the oh-too-familiar voice of Emmett. "HELLO?! DON'T IGNORE ME, EDWARD, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! AND JUDGING BY THE PIECE OF SHIT TRUCK OUTSIDE, SO IS BELLA! WHERE ARE YE BOTH?!"

I jumped up like I'd been scalded. I moved away from Edward rapidly, just as Emmett sauntered into the room.

"There ye are!" Emmett boomed. "And Bluebell, fancy seeing you here," he added, winking.

"Emmett!" Edward snapped, saying his name as though it were an expletive. "What are you doing back so early?"

"Well, it started raining, as you can see," he explained, gesturing to the window, and sure enough there were sprinklings of water against the glass. "So Wimpy Mike Newton had a girly fit at the thought of us all spraining our ankles in the training field, so the tryouts are rescheduled. Load of bull," Emmett said, rolling his eyes. "Why?" he said, suddenly suspicious, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Did I interrupt something?"

I wanted to laugh at the understatement of the century, and for just a second, I saw Edward's lips twitch too.

"Not at all, Emmett," I intervened, with a remarkable attempt at breeziness. "And what were you saying about my truck?"

"I called it a piece of shit," Emmett said, thankfully going along with the subject change.

"My truck could be your jeep's grandfather. Have some respect for your elders."

Emmett just sniggered, his eyes on Edward now.

"Was he showing off?" he asked me, gesturing at the piano. "I'll bet he was and all. What's up with your face, grumpy?"

Edward just sighed exasperatedly, and stood up. "Nothing, bro. Absolutely nothing."

I fidgeted for a second, wondering what to do. Stay or go? I wanted to stay, but the waves of electricity radiating in the space between Edward and I were driving me crazy, and I needed to _think_. I needed to get my head straight.

"You know what, I told Rosalie I'd call in, so I think I'll head over there now," I said, and in my peripheral vision I saw Edward finally look in my direction.

"Aw, alright," Emmett said. "Tell Rosalie I can't wait to see her Friday night," he added with a wink.

"OK," I smiled, delighted to hear they were going out someplace. "See you later then." I walked around Emmett towards the door, and I couldn't help myself; I looked over my shoulder at Edward.

He was staring straight at me, his eyes smouldering and burning, and I wanted to melt. I felt the electricity dart between us again, and I broke his gaze, in desperate need to think this through before anything happened.

"Bye, Bella," I heard him say, and I mumbled a reply.

The cold air outside hit me like a thunderbolt. Everything I had ever been told about Edward Cullen came back to me. He knew how to charm women. He'd probably used those scorching eyes on them all. I shouldn't fall for his trap. I shouldn't be wondering when would be the next time we'd get a moment alone. I shouldn't have wanted to kiss him. I shouldn't _still_ want to kiss him.

I didn't like him… right?

What the hell just happened?


	12. The Meadow

_Em, so, wow. I genuinely got some of the nicest reviews ever for the last chapter, thanks for like, totally making my day. God knows when I'll be able to update next, but I'll make it as SOON as I possibly can! ;) enjoy this chapter anyway, and happy holidays, y'all. Oh, and shout out to the girl who's under 7 inches of snow in Scotland...isn't it just freaking cold?!?! ;D haha. Eimear! ily, happy xmas. and to Jen as well, if she'd ever get on the freaking internet, cough, cough. xXoxOx_

**Chapter Twelve: The Meadow**

**Bella**

I drove to Rosalie's house in a complete daze, the tingling memory of Edward's kisses still lingering on my neck. I couldn't grasp much coherency out of my thoughts, other than if there ever was a time to take heed of advice from the girls, it was now. I needed to know what to do this time, because the boundaries between Edward and I that once used to be so clear were starting to blur.

Jasper answered the door when I finally arrived, and grinned.

"Hey, Bella," he said, standing back to let me in.

"Hi, Jasper," I said, fidgeting. I could faintly hear the girl's voice floating down from upstairs.

"So, I'm guessing you were just at Edward's then?" Jasper asked, with a knowing look.

"Yeah," I admitted, rubbing my neck subconsciously. "Are you going to lecture me?"

"Not at all," he said. "You can go where you want to, Bella, I'm not going to - wait a minute…" he trailed off, squinting at my neck.

"What?" I said, too innocently. He didn't buy it.

"What is that on your neck, that mark?" he demanded.

"Oh, that, it's just a rash," I invented wildly, covering it with my hand.

"A rash," he repeated sceptically. "From what?"

"Well, there was an itchy label on one of my shirts," I lied, unconvincingly. Jasper just smirked.

"Let me see it," he said, tugging at my arm.

"No," I protested, injecting my voice with outrage. "It's just a stupid rash, what's the big deal -"

"It's stubble rash, isn't it?"

"It's not anything," I huffed, trying to walk past him now, but he kept blocking my way.

"Bella, sharing is caring," Jasper grinned. He started tickling under my arm, attempting to loosen the grip on my neck, and I laughed and tried to squirm away from him.

"Jasper, quit it!" I squealed. It was no use; I had to lower my arms to defend myself, and quick as a flash, Jasper grabbed them, preventing me from covering my neck again.

"It's a hickey!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"No, it isn't."

"I think I know a hickey when I see one. You and Edward Cullen…" he teased, and I blushed furiously. "How come you don't have a rash from your itchy label all around your jaw, then?" he wondered, and I rolled my eyes at the way he asked his question.

"I didn't kiss him."

"So he just did this?" Jasper bowed, pretending to bite my neck at the same time.

"No," I laughed, pushing him playfully away. "I was sitting on his lap," I confessed, blushing again.

"I see… randomly just sitting on his lap?"

"He was teaching me to play the piano."

"I see…" Jasper arched one eyebrow, and I couldn't help but grin. "So will it be happening again, do you think? The sitting on the lap and the administering of hickeys?"

"I don't know."

"I just hope you remember that it's _Edward Cullen_ we're talking about," he reminded me, with a rather stern look.

I snorted. "How could I forget?"

"Do you like him?" he asked slyly, and I threw him a look, trying not to blush.

"I'm not answering that question."

"Is it 'cause you don't want to admit you _really_ like Romeo Cullen -?"

"No, it's because I don't even know the answer myself," I cut him off.

He paused. "Just be careful, Bella. Promise me that, yeah?"

"Of course I will," I said, deciding against adding what was going through my brain. Wasn't that why Edward started bugging me in the first place? _Careful_, sensible Bella, never one for spontaneity…

Jasper and I headed upstairs to join the girls. Alice took one look at my shifty expression and I knew I was done for.

"Hey, Bella, didn't think you'd make it," Rosalie said, with a wink.

"Where were you?" Alice demanded. "Were you at Edward's?"

"Yes," I nodded, and Alice gasped, her eyes alight.

"What happened?! Details, details!"

"Well," I began.

"Edward gave her a hickey," Jasper sniggered, before I could say anything else, and dodged neatly out of my way as I aimed a punch at him.

Rosalie and Alice were immediately at my neck, looking at it.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" I exclaimed, embarrassed.

"Wow, there are little bite marks and everything," Rosalie observed, "and they look fresh."

"Well, according to my vast knowledge," Alice said, ignoring Jasper's slightly sceptical little snort from the other side of the room, "I have never heard of Edward Cullen giving any girl a hickey before. I wonder could Edward Cullen be kinky…?" she said dreamily, and Jasper cleared his throat loudly.

"Who cares?" he said, but I think he was the only person in the room who didn't. All thanks to Alice, I was having my own little daydreams at that thought.

"So did you kiss him?" Rosalie asked me.

I shook my head. "I think… we were about to," I said, feeling a little tingle up my spine at the memory, "but then Emmett barged in, and I jumped away from him. Oh," I added, suddenly remembering, "Emmett said he can't wait to see you Friday night," I told Rosalie, who smiled and turned a little pink.

"Ooh!" Jasper whooped sarcastically.

"Shut up, Idiot Face," she threw at him, before returning her attention back to me. "Did he say anything else about me?"

"No, just that. You never mentioned you two were going out Friday!" I gave out indignantly, relieved the spotlight was off of me.

"Yeah, well, it only happened after I said goodbye to you after school. He caught up with me just as I was leaving to ask me, and I said yes, duh!" Rosalie laughed.

Alice cleared her throat. "Nice subject change," she said to me, and my heart sank. "As happy as we are for Rosalie, the big issue here is the fact Edward Cullen's teeth marks are all over Bella's neck!"

"So?" Jasper interjected. "My teeth marks are all over your neck," he said, with a wicked grin.

Alice somehow managed to blush, giggle, and glare at Jasper all at the same time.

"Yuck!" Rosalie protested. "That was just too much information, dearest brother of mine." She made a face at him.

I looked at Alice's neck interestedly, but I couldn't see anything.

"There's nothing there, have you got makeup on it?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll lend you some," Alice said, making her way over to her handbag. "I don't think your dad would be best pleased if he caught a glance at your neck."

"Probably not," I agreed. I wandered over to the mirror to see what all the fuss was all about, and my eyes widened. On one side of my neck was a scattering of little marks and a pink bruise, and my heart clenched at the sight of it, and the sudden deluge of memories. I couldn't believe I had been so caught up in the moment that I hadn't realised he was _ravaging_ my neck.

I bit my lip, just for a second wishing we hadn't been interrupted.

A weird noise came out of Jasper's harmonica, and we all looked towards him, frowning. It took a second, and then it hit me - the reason the song sounded so weird was because it was a new one, and not the one he liked to play over and over again.

Rosalie shook her head. "Today is just the day for miracles. I get asked out by Emmett Cullen. Edward gives Bella a hickey. And then Jasper actually learns to play a new song on his stupid harmonica -"

"Oh, shut up," Jasper interrupted, rolling his eyes.

* * *

The next morning, I was woken up by the sun blasting through a crack in my curtains, gently warming my face. Rubbing my eyes, I rolled out of bed and looked out of the window. The sky was blue, azure, and it made me smile. I opened my window and let the breeze float in… there was a slight bite to it, but not enough to deter me. I was so used to the blazing heat of Phoenix, but I wanted to welcome the sun back like an old friend. I rooted through my still half-unpacked suitcase, in search of my summer clothes. I knew I would probably only end up freezing later, but I didn't care - the sun was out and I was going to make the most of it.

I ended up leaving the house wearing a pair of black denim shorts and a black and dark blue check shirt, with my boots. The sun's rays felt familiar and comforting on my skin, and I headed off to school in quite a good mood.

"Check you out," Alice greeted me, not long after I arrived. "Dressing up - or down, rather - for a certain someone, eh?" she teased.

"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed, "of course not."

"Hmm," Alice said, clearly not believing me. I distracted her by pointing out how nice her dress was, and let her gush on about what shop she got it in and what other accessories she owned matched it perfectly. I noticed pretty much all the girls in school were wearing shorts or skirts or something; I wondered if it seemed really hot to them today. This mild heat was nothing compared to Phoenix, but it was all a matter of getting used it.

My good mood had definitely deflated by the time I got to Biology, and realised Edward Cullen hadn't turned up to school at all.

I tried not to let it affect me, but I couldn't help the black cloud of disappointment that now hung over my head. Maybe he was avoiding me, regretting the whole piano incident. Alice had lent me some foundation, which had done quite a reasonable job of making the marks on my neck less noticeable, but I couldn't forget they were there. I also couldn't forget about how they had gotten there, either, and was frequently immersing myself in daydreams.

After school I went straight home, preferring not to showcase how depressed and distracted I was to Jasper and the girls, as I just knew they'd tease the life out of me. The weather was too nice to waste by sitting indoors, so I grabbed one of my favourite books and a blanket, and sat myself outside. I might have been there for a half hour or so, totally lost in the novel and enjoying the rays dancing across my skin, when I was suddenly jerked back to reality by a familiar sounding engine, increasing in volume every second.

Edward's motorbike roared into my driveway, and parked in the middle of it, as though it had every right to.

My heart sped up, beating so quickly and loudly it was difficult to ignore it. I kept my eyes on my book, reading the same sentence over and over again, not wanting him to think I was all that interested that he was here. In my peripheral vision, I watched him climb off the bike and pull his head out of his helmet.

"Hey, Legs," he called, and I blushed.

"Edward," I said, looking up at him with what I hoped he thought was casual interest. He smirked down at me, swaggering over, and my heart almost leapt out of my chest when he sat himself down on my blanket. Having his gorgeous face too close was really disconcerting. "What are you doing here?" I asked, after pausing to recollect my shattered thoughts.

"Boredom, again," he shrugged. My heart skipped again. Was he looking at my neck?

"I refuse to believe that," I said. "Surely the mighty Edward Cullen can find something else to do rather than appear at my door every five minutes."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?"

He smirked at me again, and I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks again. Damn it. I used to be able to keep my blushing to a minimum around him, what the hell was wrong with me?! I lowered my eyes back onto my book again, my eyes moving along the words, my brain registering nothing.

"So… what do you want to do today?" Edward said.

"Read my book. You can sit there and watch me, I don't mind."

"As fascinating as that would be," he drawled sarcastically, "I'd rather get more active."

Cue the blush. "What did you have in mind?"

"Perhaps a walk…?"

I looked at him sceptically. "A walk? A walk to where?! There's nowhere to walk _to_ in Forks."

"How about through the woods?"

"Trees, fun," I snorted.

"I came across this meadow when I was hiking before… I'll show you it. It's nice," he said casually.

I had a mental picture of the two of us in some meadow in the middle of the woods, completely alone, without any possible interruptions… I suppressed a shiver.

I hated the fact that there were no objections anywhere to this plan in my brain. It was like I had been waiting out here for him, because I knew he would come and take me away somewhere, and I would go with him.

"Only if we bring a picnic," I decided.

"A picnic?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes! Food. And a blanket."

"A blanket?"

"Yes, Edward, don't be such a snob." I jumped to my feet. "You can come in if you want," I threw over my shoulder, and headed for my kitchen. A few seconds later, Edward had swaggered into the house like he owned it and was placing his orders for the picnic basket. He was acting like he thought it was a stupid idea, but he didn't actually raise an objection to it, which made me think he was just raging he hadn't thought of it himself.

Eventually I had a small basket full of fruit and nuts and things. I left a note for Charlie in case I got back late (you never knew with Edward Cullen) and we went back outside.

The journey to the meadow took forever. First off there was the ride on the motorbike, which was as scary and exhilarating as always. Then there was the stupid hike. I hadn't thought to change my boots, and they were definitely not manufactured for walking through forests. The walk was just plain dull, as Edward and I weren't talking for some reason, and the sun didn't work well with exercise, so I was all hot and bothered in no time.

I had reached the end of my tether, and was just about to complain to Edward, when I stumbled into a clearing. I was surprised - the meadow was gorgeous. It was a total suntrap, and the flowers danced prettily in the gentle breeze. I quickly fell in love with it.

"See?" Edward said smugly. "Told you it was nice."

'Nice' was too much of an understatement.

Edward, who had been carrying a blue blanket with purple flowers on it rather manfully through the forest, now spread it out on the ground. I put the basket of food next to it, and we both lay down beside each other, looking up at the sky. And we just started to talk.

* * *

"Prison?"

"Not true. I did get in trouble with the cops a few times for speeding and shit like that."

"The street fighting gang?"

"Not true. Although, I have been in a fair few brawls, the odd fist-fight… I'm a guy."

"How did you get the scar above your eyebrow, then?"

"Me and Emmett were watching the wrestling on the TV and decided to try it at home. Em shoved me into the wall by accident and I cracked my head open. I was ten, I think."

"Badass."

"Totally."

"What about the Blood Suckers?"

"The what?"

"Biker gang?"

"God, how many gangs can one guy be expected to be part of?! That's not true, I don't know any biker gangs."

"And how about the sex gang?"

He burst into a fit of laughter.

"A sex gang… haven't heard that one before. But I daresay I would have joined it, had the opportunity arisen."

I hit him on the shoulder, grinning.

"What about this band I heard you were in?"

"Oh, pfft. That lasted all of one week. They claim musical differences, I claim they were all a bunch of pricks with crap taste in music."

"Fair enough. You know, the rumours made you seem a lot more exciting than you really are."

"Oh, shut up. People at that school just need someone to gossip about, and they happened to choose me."

"Well, if you're not in all these gangs, or in prison, then what _do_ you do with your time?"

"Random shit. Whatever I feel like, really."

"Specific."

"A lot of the time I'm in bed, trying to sleep. I'm an insomniac."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been going on for years. I just can't sleep at night. So, usually, I go out, get pissed, have a laugh, stumble home, and sleep my brains out during the day. School be damned."

"Was that what you were doing the whole month you were out from school? Sleeping?"

"Not so much that time. I was in Port Angeles that whole month, staying with Gar. I was partying and racing and whatever… I don't remember much of it, to be honest. One day, Emmett shows up and drags me home. I had some lecture from my parents that evening."

"Huh. Intense."

"Yeah. I dunno, I was just… bored. I do crazy shit when I'm bored."

"Why can't you just read a book or listen to music like normal people?" I teased.

"Oh, hardy haw."

There was a strangely comfortable silence.

"No more questions for me then, Miss Nosy?"

"I do have one…"

"Shoot."

"Tanya…?"

"Ugh. Clingy, squeaky, dull, annoying. Kate and Carmen set us up, thinking we'd be a match made in heaven. I couldn't get rid of her fast enough. I still can't."

"Hmm."

"Why you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Sure. Jealous, more like."

"Why would I be jealous if you're not even with her anymore?"

"Don't ask me how your mind works."

I paused, biting my lip, wondering how to phrase the next question. I wanted to ask him all about the tribe of girls he was known for parading around with. Before I could ask, he said something else.

"What happened with Emmett?"

"What?"

"You and Emmett. What happened?"

"Nothing. We kissed, that was it. I don't see him as more than a friend, it was just a crazy impulse."

"I didn't like it. When I found out you two made out, I didn't like it."

"Oh. Why?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I just didn't. Thought you should know."

"Well… it won't be happening again."

"Good."

"I knew you were jealous."

"Me? I was not."

"You were! You practically bit my head off about it yesterday."

"Don't over-exaggerate…"

I just smirked to myself, and he sighed.

"Anything else you wanna know?"

"Can't think of anything," I lied, wanting to ask him what he thought about the whole piano incident yesterday. I was just too shy to bring it up.

The conversation moved on, and I lay there in the middle of a meadow with the real Edward Cullen, and we pretty much talked about everything.

Everything except what happened at the piano, yet I had the feeling it was on the tip of both our tongues.


	13. The Break In

_I'm ba-ack! Sorry bout the wait, but have a nice long chapter for being so patient! :D thanks for the stellar reviews, i am humbled. :) and to Jen and Eimear... I got your texts! miss you both, hoped you enjoyed the hols! xXOx_

**Chapter Thirteen: The Break-In**

**Edward**

Ugh, Edward, would you get a grip on yourself…

I kept thinking about her. She was like a song in my head stuck on replay, but a really, _really_ annoying song.

The piano. Having her that close to me. It fogged up my brain, and got rid of my ability to think clearly.

I didn't think she was attracted to me. I was convinced she didn't really like me all that much. It bemused me, the fact the kept accepting my offers of bringing her out… but she tilted her head. She _wanted_ me to kiss her neck, she _let_ me kiss her neck… so what did that mean, then?

Did she like me? It was stupid and I didn't know why, but just contemplating that idea put me in a good mood. Girls have liked me before, but they were just attracted to my looks or my reputation, or both. Bella had seen, I had to admit, the ugly side of my personality, yet she still kept putting up with me.

I kissed a lot of girls, because I felt like it at the time and whatever, but that moment, at the piano, with Bella… I wanted to kiss her, because it was _Bella_.

Mad. Crazy. Weird.

This was highly unknown and very confusing territory, and I had to snap out of it. I had to stop thinking like this. It wasn't _me_.

I kept trying to assess the situation. I was using her to win a bet. That was it.

"Emmett's throwing a party on Saturday," I told her, breaking one of the weird comfortable silences that had descended upon us.

"Cool. For any particular reason?" she asked.

"He says it'll either be a celebration or a place to drown his sorrows," I said, my gut twisting with unease. I wished it would cut it out.

"How come?"

"He made a bet," I said, my mouth suddenly dry. "He'll find out if it paid off that night."

"What kind of bet?" Bella asked, sounding only vaguely interested, and I wondered why I had brought it up at all. Why I looked at her and opened my mouth to tell her everything, but chickened out at the very last minute. Why? I didn't have to say anything. It wasn't necessary for her to know.

It felt like the guilt was forcing its way up my throat, pushing the words I needed to say up with it. I just couldn't get them to come out of my mouth.

It was disturbing me, that she was becoming less and less like a bet to me every day, and more like a _person_.

Not a day went by now, where I didn't want to see her or talk to her. I felt guilty and sick every time I met her eyes.

I hadn't planned this, and I couldn't figure out when the hell it had happened.

Annoyingly, too, I was beginning to see myself in the mirror. I was cruel to play with people like this. Bella didn't deserve to be treated like this, and especially not by me.

I knew I had to tell her. I wanted to tell her. I didn't want to _feel_ like this anymore, it was too confusing and irritating and crazy and I wanted it to _stop_.

That damn Bella Swan was in under my skin.

I didn't like it. But… I was also curious. What if, like I had so arrogantly assumed before… what if I was under hers?

What then?

* * *

**Bella**

Once the sun began to set, it became too cold to be hanging out in a meadow for much longer, so Edward and I started heading back to the bike. The whole evening had just been… totally not what I would have expected.

He didn't attempt to touch me or kiss me again, so I was starting to think we were going to avoid the whole hickey incident entirely, and never speak of it again. I was a little disappointed, and I chastised myself for feeling that way. I didn't want to get too _involved_ with Edward Cullen. Despite his reputation turning out to be a load of crap, mostly, I was still not completely one hundred percent sure about him.

Call it women's intuition, but I got the feeling he was hiding something.

He dropped me home well before Charlie was due in, said he'd see me later, and drove off. I went inside the house, not sure of what kind of mood to be in. Too full of fruit to feel like eating anything, and not bored enough to be watching aimless television, I decided to ring Alice.

"Bella," she said sternly, when she picked up the phone. "I rang your house earlier and no one answered."

She waited, and I took my cue. "Yeah, sorry, I was out. With Edward."

"I thought that. I'm not even surprised anymore."

"Thank God, I thought you'd still be gasping at the sound of his name for months to come."

"Oh, shush, I'm not that bad," Alice giggled. "So what did you two get up to? How's your neck looking?"

I rolled my eyes. "If you're wondering if he gave me another hickey, then the answer is no."

"Aw," she said sadly, sounding more disappointed than even I was. "Did he try anything at all?"

"No," I said, trying to sound like it wasn't a big deal whether he did or didn't. "We just talked."

"About what?"

"Loads of stuff. You know, the majority of the rumours going around about him aren't true at all. He's not in any gangs."

"Really? So he's not in that street dance crew that have been graffiti-ing their logo all over Port Angeles then?"

"I doubt it, Alice."

"And he's not in that biker gang?"

"No."

"Huh," Alice said. "Did you ask him about prison?"

"He's never been."

"Right, that's it. Officially not believing another word that comes out of Jessica Stanley's mouth."

"I never knew why you did in the first place."

"She used to be great for hearing gossip first hand. I think she's afraid of losing her title to me so she's just making crap up," Alice sighed.

"Oh, the world of gossip politics," I said, amused.

"Shush. Did you hear about Emmett's party on Saturday?"

"I did. You going to go?"

"Of course I am. I want to watch Rosalie and Emmett's body language around each other. I wish I could be a fly on the wall at their date, I'm dying to know how that goes…"

"You really are too interested for your own good," I commented.

"I can't help it, I'm excited for her. She won't admit it, but she's liked him for ages."

I felt a sharp stab of guilt. "I still haven't told her about what happened at your party, with Emmett."

"Are you still worrying about that?"

"Yeah. What if she hates me?"

"She won't hate you. They weren't together when it happened."

"Yeah, but still…"

"Bella, tell her if you feel she needs to know about it. She might take it better than you think."

"Alright," I said, taking a few deep breaths. "I'll tell her, soon. Anything new with you and Jasper?"

"Ooh, yes! Guess what? He told me he liked me when Rosalie first became friends with me, but he didn't say anything because he didn't think I liked him! Imagine all the years I could have been with him!"

"At least you're with him now," I said, smiling at Alice's frustrated tone. They were so cute about each other. I chatted with Alice for a few more minutes, before we both grudgingly decided to start our homework.

Edward Cullen wasn't in school the next day. Thinking back, I realised he had only been in two days this week, and one of them he'd left in the middle of to go to Port Angeles. I spent the evening wandering around my house, jumping at any noise that sounded like a car engine. Or rather, a motorbike engine.

Eventually, it was too late for anyone to visit, so I told Charlie I was going to bed, sighing as I dragged my feet up the stairs. I shouldn't have just expected him to come and see me today. Why did I have to get my hopes up where he was concerned? That was stupid, I told myself. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I went to bed and did everything I could think of not to think of Edward Cullen. I tried reading. Didn't work. Listening to music. Didn't work. Counting sheep. Didn't work.

Frustrated, I rolled over onto my side, allowing myself five seconds to obsess over him. What was he up to? Was he thinking about me at all?

A sharp rap on the window nearly made me jump out of my skin. I froze, listening hard, but all I could hear were Charlie's snores. I assumed it was just the wind, so I closed my eyes again.

_Bang_. I jumped up, my heart beating rapidly. That was definitely too obvious to be ignored. Tentatively, I climbed out of bed and slowly made my way over to the window. As I nervously approached it, I realised there was a dark outline behind the curtain… it banged on the window again, and my heart almost stopped.

"Bella," a voice hissed. "Let me in, would you?!"

I knew that voice. There was no doubt in my mind as to who it was outside my window.

I fumbled with the latch for a second, and heaved it open, standing back as Edward Cullen fell into my bedroom face-first and landed on the floor with a sharp _thump_.

"Ouch," he muttered, getting to his feet.

"What are you _doing_ here?!" I whispered, my heart still thudding loudly in my chest. Despite the shock, I was sort of relieved to see him, for some inexplicable reason.

"Nice to see you too," Edward said, finally straightening up and flicking his hair out of his eyes. He smiled wickedly at me, and I blushed, trying to remain dignified with my hands on my hips, dressed in old and raggedy pyjamas.

"Did you know that it's illegal to break into people's houses?"

"Did you know that top is practically see-through?"

"Did you know that you're a pervert?"

"I had an idea, but thanks for clarifying it," he smirked, and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. I _had_ to wear a luminous bra with a white t-shirt, I just _had_ to. Could I not just be cool for once? "Nice room," he added, looking around interestedly.

"Thanks. But why are you in it, again?"

"Because I came to collect you," he said, in a _well, duh_ tone of voice, as though we had made some sort of arrangement that I had forgotten about.

"And bring me where?" I demanded, huffing.

"Out," Edward shrugged, infuriatingly. I knew he was waiting for me to say "out where?", but I wasn't in the mood for his annoying games. I just raised my eyebrows expectantly, and waited.

We stared at each other for a moment, and then he cleared his throat.

"I'm racing again, in Port Angeles. Come on."

"What about James?" I asked, unable to forget about that creep, and harbouring no intentions of going near where he might be again.

"He's out of town tonight, drag racing somewhere in one of his many shiny cars. We don't have to worry about him."

"Oh. Good."

"So, are you coming?"

"You must be pretty desperate for me to come with you, breaking into my house and all."

"Well, I want you there, Bella," Edward said, his green eyes hypnotic and intense and smirking. My heart skipped and stuttered.

"OK," I mumbled, dropping his gaze and blushing. The guy climbed through the window and looked at me like _that_ - there was no way in hell I could say no. "I just need to get dressed."

"Cool," Edward said, crossing his arms and watching me with interest. I just rolled my eyes again.

"You, out," I ordered, pointing at the door. "Go downstairs, _quietly_, and wait for me. I'll be down in a second."

"Sure thing, sweetheart," he said, and swaggered out the door.

I sighed, looking around for clothes. It was probably a bad idea, going with him. But I just loved the freedom that Edward seemed to represent; no rules, no boundaries, just do whatever you feel like. I wanted a bit of that. I didn't want to admit to myself that I also wanted to spend time with Edward, too.

Remembering how cold it had been the last night I'd ridden on his motorbike at night time, I pulled on some flesh coloured tights underneath my black skirt, and a black hoodie. Edward's friends in Port Angeles were always so glamorous, so I figured jeans were not an option. I at least wanted to look like I belonged there.

I crept past Charlie's bedroom, praying that I'd get home before he could wake up and notice me missing. I felt guilty for sneaking out like this, because I knew I'd only worry him if he found out, but I told myself I'd make it home in time. I'd _try_ to be responsible.

Edward was waiting in the hall for me.

"Took you long enough," he whispered, as I descended the stairs. I flushed as I caught him blatantly staring at my legs, but I had to admit - it did make me feel a little good to know he was checking me out.

"Shut up," I told him.

"You say that to me so often it has lost all meaning."

"Great, I'm going have to devise a new way of keeping your mouth shut now."

"I can think of one way," Edward grinned, his eyes twinkling devilishly, and I blushed once again. It was hard not to notice the fact he was never missing an opportunity to say something flirty now. If only I were courageous enough to flirt back… I just knew what would happen then, and I was afraid of it happening. I didn't want to give in to him, only for him to give me up like I meant nothing.

We left the house, still bantering and bickering, and walked down to the end of my driveway, where he had parked his bike. Then, we were off. I almost felt like a pro on that bike now. I finally saw what Edward could see in it… you felt like you were flying. There was a great appeal in having my arms locked around Edward Cullen, also… couldn't forget about that part.

I recognised the street Garrett's bar was on as we drove into it, and I guessed we were hanging out there before the race. Edward put his hand around my waist as we were walking into the bar, and I didn't bother objecting. I did, however, pluck up the courage to put my arm around _his_ waist; he tightened his grip in response, and I was sure I could see his smirk out of the corner of my eyes.

Carmen and Kate were both behind the bar, and we squeezed ourselves through a crowd of people to sit on the stools.

"Hey, you two, nice of you to drop in," Kate beamed. "I'll tell Gar you're here," she said, and headed towards the back room.

"Oh, leave me with all the customers, I don't need any help," Carmen called after her, grinning and shaking her head. "What can I get you?" she asked some guy, only able to spare us a wave in greeting.

Kate emerged from the back room then, with Garrett, who was wearing a delighted expression.

"Edward!" he boomed. "It's looking serious! Bringing Bella here three times in a row, I cannot believe my eyes! Bella, my dear, how are you?! Do I spy a hickey on your neck?"

I blushed furiously, refusing to look at either Garrett or Edward. Ugh, idiot, Bella. I had taken the makeup off my neck going to bed, and never thought to put it back on again when I was getting ready to go out - I was now paranoid that it was flashing like a big neon sign, screaming "I AM A HICKEY, LOOK AT ME".

Before Garrett could chat to us properly, an emo looking guy approached him about some problem with the condom machine in the guys' bathroom.

"Oh, not again," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'll be with you in a sec, guys," he waved at us, and left with the emo.

Edward turned his gaze on Kate, and beamed so angelically I almost forgot to breathe. Kate blinked, and then shook her head.

"No, Edward," she said sternly. "He'll kill me."

"Oh, go on! Just one? It won't hurt either of us," Edward wheedled.

"I can't," Kate said, regretfully. "You know I can't."

"Kate," Edward said, in such a irresistible voice, that I nearly launched myself at him and told him that whatever it was that he wanted, he could have it.

Kate looked just as dazzled as I was, yet recovered before I did. She sighed loudly, and looked around shiftily.

"Alright," she gave in. "Just one, mind you. And not now, after the race."

"You're the best, Kate," Edward winked.

"Don't I know it," she replied. A customer called her and she went away to serve him, shaking her head again.

I leaned in towards Edward curiously. "What were you asking her for?"

"Just a drink. I'm dying for a beer."

"Oh. Cool." I didn't know what else to say, so I just sat there with Edward at the bar, watching the girls serving drinks expertly, letting my mind wander.

Edward suddenly spun on his stool to face me, and my heart thumped once against my ribcage.

"Tilt your head," he said, smirking.

"What?"

"Tilt your head," he repeated, and tilted his own head to show me what he meant. I did what he said, realising what he wanted. Edward leaned even closer to me, checking out the damage he had inflicted on my neck. I tried to concentrate on keeping my breathing even, but I was just too aware of how close he was. I could feel just a whisper of his breath against the skin on my neck, and it brought me right back to the moment at the piano.

I shivered. He noticed.

Edward leaned back slightly, the corners of his mouth turned up, and met my eyes. We were just stuck like that, looking at each other, stuck in a crazy bubble where I was deaf to all the noises in the bar, only aware of Edward and the flickering of emotions in his eyes, and the electricity and static which was almost crackling and sparking in the space between us…

And then we were interrupted.

Again.

By Tanya.

"Edward," she cooed, ignoring me completely and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. He jerked a little under her touch, I was pleased to notice. "I thought you'd be here tonight, it's lovely to see you! How are you?"

"Fine," Edward muttered, not taking his eyes off mine until the very last second. "What's up?"

Edward was looking at her politely while she babbled on, but he kept flicking glances back towards me, and looked as if he were only half-listening, which kept the slightly smug smile on my face. Tanya continued to completely ignore me, but I couldn't find it anywhere in me to care.

"Edward!" Garrett reappeared suddenly, and Edward looked relieved at the interruption. "I need another set of hands, come here for a second. I won't keep him too long, Bella," he added, winking at me, and I think I was the only one who caught Tanya's momentary expression of pure annoyance.

Edward left, and I was wondering what could possibly be so wrong with the condom machine that they needed three people to try and fix it, when Tanya sidled over to me.

"Bella, I just thought you should know…" she said, not sweetly enough to disguise the malice behind her words. "You're not really Edward's type. He'll probably get bored of you very quickly, and I wouldn't want to see you get hurt," she said, with fake concern. "You're just not the kind of girl that Edward could ever really love and want to stay with."

I raised my eyebrows, gazing at her coolly.

"Well, you mustn't be his type either then, because _you_ didn't stay with him for very long, did you?" I said, smiling sweetly at her.

I had, in fact, no clue of how long her and Edward had gone out for, but Tanya was looking suitably enraged, so it had definitely struck a nerve. Satisfied, I waited for her to muster up any sort of reply, but before she could, Edward had joined us again.

"Gar said the race is starting in ten minutes, so we should probably get a move on," he said, and I couldn't get off my seat fast enough.

"OK," I said brightly, delighted to be getting away from Tanya. Garrett appeared at my shoulder, throwing an arm around both our shoulders and completely blocking Tanya out.

"It's only me and Kate cheering you on today, Ed," Garrett informed him. "Carmen's got to stay behind the bar."

"Lucky me," Carmen said, grinning and rolling her eyes.

Kate caught up with us, and we all headed outside the bar. It turned out that Garrett had a bike too, although it wasn't as big or as shiny as Edward's. Kate straddled the bike with ease, and I tried to do it as nonchalantly as I could, hoping they'd think I was well used to it by now.

The race had been pretty much the same as last time, except there was a different girl starting the race instead of Tanya. Edward won, although narrowly, and swaggered over to Garrett, Kate and I, who had been cheering him on from the sidelines.

Garrett gave Edward a one-armed manly type hug, and Kate hugged him too, so I panicked, thinking it would look really mean and bitchy if I didn't give him one as well. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly for a few seconds, and I pulled away first, blushing a little.

"Congrats," I said, and Edward flashed me the crooked smile.

"Still got it," he said, winking at Garrett, who rolled his eyes.

There was a flurry among the crowd of people who turned out to watch the race, and our heads naturally turned to see what was going on; a red Porsche was screeching down the road, blaring heavy metal music.

"Shit, isn't that James?!" Garrett exclaimed.

"Shit," Edward said, at the same time. "You didn't see us, we're not here," he told Garrett hurriedly, and grabbed my hand, towing me unceremoniously towards a poorly lit alley. I stumbled after him. There was a large stack of crates, and Edward pulled me behind them, crouching both of us down.

"You probably won't think this is very macho or badass, hiding like this," Edward said, breathing heavily. "But if he had seen you again after you never turned up in his hotel room… it would not have been pretty."

"No, no," I protested, wishing my heart would slow down and stop banging so loudly. "I'm all for hiding from James."

We quietened down for a minute, just listening to the crowd and the sound of our breathing. My heart skipped when I suddenly heard James's voice, not from too far away.

"Any of you seen Cullen around here tonight?"

"Not tonight," said Garrett's voice. "He was here last night, so you missed him."

"Let him know I'm looking for him, won't you?" James said, in a tone that all too clearly stated he didn't believe a word Garrett was saying.

"Sure."

I didn't hear anything after that, and I waited with bated breath, hoping against hope that James would give up looking for us soon. After what felt like hours, Garrett suddenly hissed down the alley.

"Coast is clear! He's just gone away in his prissy little Porsche, and I can't see Vicky or Laurie anywhere!"

Edward looked at me for the first time since dragging me down the alley. "You OK to come out?" he said.

"Yeah, sure," I replied, my voice a little unsteady, as I had just realised how close his face was to mine, hunched together in a small space like this. It was way closer than it should have been. Too close for rational and coherent thinking.

He was looking at me like he had just realised the same thing, and for the second time that night, we were stuck, hooked on each other's gazes, our breathing picking up and wavering, the sound of my heartbeat deafening in my ears.

And then Garrett stuck his head around the crates.

"Did you hear what I said?!" he demanded, and we both jumped.

"Yes!" Edward snapped. "We're not freaking deaf!"

"Ooh, sorry," Garret huffed, in a high pitched voice.

Edward rolled his eyes and got to his feet, holding out his hands to help me up. I winced as the feeling started rushing back into my dead legs, and Edward kept a hold of one of my hands, and led me out of the alley.

I kept having moments with Edward. Real, intense moments, where everything got a little fuzzy.

And we kept getting interrupted.

I wondered would the rest of the night be like this, or if we would actually ever have one uninterrupted moment.


	14. The Uninterrupted Moment

_I honestly don't know what I do to deserve such nice reviews. thank you babes! now, the next chapter is driving me up the walls, so I'm not posting it until it's finished and I'm completely happy with it, so it may not be tomorrow! we'll see! and this chapter... well. I'll let you read for yourself. ;)_

**Chapter Fourteen: The Uninterrupted Moment**

**Bella**

We ended up in the bar again, in Garrett's back room this time, just in case James still had people looking for us. Kate had snuck Edward a few beers, and I surprised myself by actually liking the taste when he offered me one. Pretty soon, the two of us very sitting very close together on the couch, talking a lot of nonsense and laughing at nothing.

Carmen came in at one point, looking troubled.

"Bella… did you say something to Tanya earlier?"

"Yeah," I shrugged. "She said something bitchy to me so I said something bitchy back."

"When?" Edward demanded, but I ignored him.

"Why?" I asked Carmen suspiciously, eyeing the uneasy expression on her face.

"Well… she was the one who called James and told him you two were here. She just told me there… I'm sorry, Bella, I don't know what she was thinking."

"What a psycho bitch!" Edward exclaimed, looking disgusted.

"That's my sister you're talking about," Carmen snapped.

"Sorry, Car, but your sister is a psycho bit-"

"OK, OK, OK!" Garrett said loudly, coming into the room. It seemed he had been eavesdropping outside. "Let's everybody calm down, yeah?"

"Tanya called James," Edward growled. "Does she have any idea how much danger she potentially put Bella and I in?"

Garrett frowned, sighing. "She seems pretty sorry, Edward. Kate's out there trying to calm her down."

"Tears and dramatics aren't sufficient apologies, Gar," Edward said. "You know as well as I do what James is capable of."

Garrett winced a little. I wanted to know what they knew, but something stopped me from asking - probably fear. Just the sound of James's name increased my heart rate.

"I know, but how about -?" he stopped suddenly, his eyes on the beer cans. "Where did you get those?" he demanded, pointing.

Edward stood up rather unsteadily, a tinge of guilt on his perfect features. "We brought them ourselves, mate," he lied, so well that for a second I was convinced too.

"Edward, for God's sake, if anyone caught underagers drinking in my bar I could get into a hell of a lot of trouble, and you know that! And you can't drive yourself and Bella home in the state you're in!"

"Whoops," Edward said, smirking at me, and I tried not to laugh, figuring it probably wouldn't be the best idea when Garrett was looking so pissed.

"I'll check you into the hotel for the night," Garrett sighed. "But you owe me."

"Can't we stay here?" Edward suggested, gesturing to the room around us.

"There's no space, and you'll be more comfortable at the hotel anyway -"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Edward shrugged, giving in.

Garrett walked us both to the hotel and checked us in, and made sure we found the right room.

"Be good, you two," he said, turning to leave. "And if you can't be good, be careful," he added with a grin.

I blushed, mumbling "night, Gar", as Edward opened the door and pushed me inside.

I was surprised at how nice the room was. I spent ten minutes looking around, while Edward lay down on the fluffy rug in the middle of the room, for no apparent reason.

"What you doing down there?" I asked him eventually, amused.

"It's comfy," he said, and raised his hand in the air. I took hold of it, and let him pull me down onto the ground beside him.

* * *

**Edward**

My head hurt.

Tonight had just been… eventful. Too eventful.

I hadn't planned on going to Port Angeles, let alone go with Bella. Garrett had been on the phone, telling me how James was out of town and that he was putting my name down for a race so I had no reason not to be there, yet I was still reluctant.

I had been to Port Angeles more times than I could count, but now, all of a sudden, I couldn't imagine going without Bella.

I wished someone would punch me, or shake me, or tell me to be a goddamn man, and get over her. Get over this stupid attraction to her, because this wasn't supposed to have happened. She wasn't supposed to mean anything to me.

At all.

But she did. And I didn't know why.

My head gave another particularly painful throb, and I winced. I had overdone it tonight.

Breaking into Bella's house on an impulse - what the hell had that been about?! It was just pure luck that I had gotten the right window.

The race - I hadn't been in the mood for it, and I had so nearly come second again. Something was driving me forward though, making me determined that I would not lose - maybe it was the fact that she was watching.

James - that had been close. He wouldn't have cared about keeping up appearances; he probably would have tried to beat me, right there in the crowded street, and he would have dragged Bella away with him if he had gotten the chance. He was too dangerous to mess around with.

The beer - probably the main cause of my headache. Bad idea, and I hadn't even thought about it properly. Bella wouldn't get home until some time tomorrow, and she'd more than likely be in heaps of trouble with her old man - not that she seemed really concerned right now. She was lying on the floor next to me, and I could smell her perfume. It smelt like strawberries, and it was driving me mad.

_She_ was driving me mad. I wished I could ignore this. I wished I could concentrate on something else, but every time I tried it all came back around to Bella. She was all I was concentrating on now, and I couldn't understand when exactly this had happened. Or how.

And I was sick of listening to myself.

"Edward?" Bella murmured.

"What?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"You," I answered, truthfully, eyeing her face in my peripheral vision, and smirking when I noticed her blush. She was always blushing around me.

"Oh," was all she said, and fell quiet again. I wanted to know what she was thinking, but she interrupted me before I could ask.

"Edward?"

"What?"

"Why are you thinking about me?"

"I don't know," I sighed. I sat up, and held my head in my hands for a second, waiting for the room to stop spinning. I wondered if they had any aspirin in here.

I felt Bella sit up next to me. "Are you OK?" she asked, her words slurring a little. I looked at her, and felt my breath catch - she was too close to me again. That kept happening. I couldn't think right when that happened, and it felt as though my mind was trying to pull my body two ways - away from her, so I could think straight, and towards her, so I could stop thinking.

I hadn't tried the second option yet, and I couldn't help wondering what it would be like.

It would mean I had more or less won the bet, but I didn't care about winning the bet anymore. It didn't seem very significant to me now. I didn't look into Bella's eyes and think of the bet. In fact, when I was with her, sometimes I didn't think of it at all.

I kept protesting, trying to tell myself that this wasn't how it was supposed to happen, but I wasn't listening to that part of my brain. I was listening to the part of me that was actually grateful that I had even bothered with Bella Swan.

There were only a few people I bothered myself with. Only a few people I actually cared about. Everybody else… just wasn't important to me, wasn't worthy of my attention.

Since I had focussed my attentions on Bella Swan for the last month, somehow, she had become important. One of the few.

Craziness.

She was still too close, and was looking at me with that kind of dazed expression, the one she wore when I was too close to her. I could see her chest rising and falling rapidly, and I only realised then that mine was doing the same… this was what kept happening earlier.

She would hold my gaze, and I would hold hers, and we'd both get a little breathless and dizzy and it would be intense… and then someone or something would interrupt.

But not this time. I waited for an interruption to snap me out of this trance, to snap me back into reality and leave me wondering what the hell just happened, but there was nothing. Nothing but Bella.

I then realised that her face was moving closer to mine, and that my head was angling towards hers, and I hadn't told it to. I didn't want to stop it.

She was way too close to me now, and I could see all the freckles on her nose. The mascara on her eyelashes. Every breath I inhaled was of strawberry perfume.

"Edward?" she breathed, her eyes half closed.

"What?" I sort of choked.

"I…"

She didn't finish her sentence, because suddenly she was as close as she could get to my face, and her lips were lightly grazing against mine, and whatever she had been about to say wasn't important to either of us anymore. I pushed my lips against hers instinctively, changing her tentative not-quite-a-kiss into something sure and soft and building; I found myself marvelling at how much I actually liked it, how good she tasted, how much more I wanted, and I got up on my knees and turned my whole body towards her, my hands grabbing her face and securing her to me, because I didn't want this to stop.

Everything was starting to get a little hot, and blurry… her hands were frantic and everywhere; her fingers were tangling in my hair, they were running down and pressing against my chest, they were opening my shirt buttons, they were locking around my neck and pulling me closer. I let myself be yanked towards her, my lips still pushing and moving against hers with that same frantic energy that seemed to be affecting her, too.

I had no idea what was going on, but I sure as hell didn't want to stop kissing her to find out.

But then all of a sudden she pulled away, and I opened my eyes, breathing heavily, to see her pull her top over her head. There she was, in nothing but that luminous bra I had caught a glimpse of earlier and a short skirt, drunk, her lip-gloss smudged and mostly all over my face.

And it woke me up a bit. I couldn't be kissing Bella. We weren't even supposed to like each other. She was drunk. She wouldn't be kissing me if she weren't drunk, so it wasn't right that I take advantage of her.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I asked, my voice hoarse, trying to respectfully look away, but damn was it difficult.

"Well, it's highly obvious that you want me, Edward, so screw it! I'm drunk! I don't care anymore…" Bella said, gazing at me with eyes that seemed unintentionally seductive. I struggled with myself. She was still so close, and I wanted to reach out and kiss her again, but I couldn't, I just couldn't…

"Bella, put your top back on."

"Make me."

"Bella," I whined. "It's _very_ distracting. Will you _please_ put your top back on?"

She giggled. "I didn't expect you to come over all honourable, Edward. I mean, when you got me drunk and had us booked into this hotel room… you must have had it all planned out beforehand."

"I honestly didn't think like that."

"Sure," she said, clearly not believing me. "Phew! It's hot in here."

"Please don't take off any more clothes."

"Spoilsport. I thought you were one of those badass guys, who wouldn't think twice about taking advantage of me."

I realised that if it were any other girl, things would be different… but it was _Bella_. I didn't want a drunken night with Bella.

I was momentarily confused. What did I want, then? I wanted to kiss Bella, just a minute ago. Did that mean I liked her? Wanted to spend nights with her that didn't involve alcohol, that were sober? I didn't want a drunken night with Bella, so did that mean I respected her more than those other girls, thought she was worth much more to me than a drunken night?

My head was hurting again.

"Edward Cullen, what are you thinking?"

I pulled myself out of my thoughts with a start, rather liking the idea of those questions never being answered.

"I'm thinking… it's time for bed."

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about."

"No, I mean… time for sleep. You need to sober up."

"You're such a -"

"I'm sure whatever insult you're about to throw at me is fitting, but I don't care. I'm too drunk, and I want to sleep."

"That's your excuse, is it?"

"Whatever, Bella. Now put on your goddamn top."

She was immediately sulky, but thankfully put her top on (backwards, I noticed), covering herself up. Thank God. I helped her up off of the floor and the two of us staggered our way towards the bed. I sat her down on it, and her arms locked around my neck before I could pull away; she kissed me again, before I could do anything to stop it.

I didn't want to pull away.

But I had to.

"No, Bella," I chastised, breaking free of her grip.

"Prick," she muttered, crawling under the duvet huffily. I rolled my eyes, not the least bit bothered. She'd get over it. In fact, she'd probably regret kissing me, in the morning.

I couldn't understand why the thought of that darkened my mood so much.

I staggered around to the other side of the bed, and collapsed on top of it. Bella was already half asleep, and my eyes closed too, as I hoped my brain would shut off quickly and not allow me to think.

* * *

The next morning I was wakened by Bella tossing and turning next to me.

"Edward?"

"What?" I muttered, but it sounded more like a growl.

"Where am I?"

"The magical land of Narnia," I replied sleepily, and jumped with pain and fright as she suddenly kicked my shin, hard.

"Ouch!" I yelped, definitely feeling more conscious now.

"Ouch!" Bella groaned, "shut up screaming, my head hurts!"

"You started it," I muttered maturely, the dull ache in my own head becoming more pronounced.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled. We lay there in silence for a while, and I found myself wondering if she remembered kissing me last night. I remembered every last detail, and I didn't know whether or not I was glad about that. I still wasn't sure what I thought about Bella Swan anymore.

After a while, Bella sat up gingerly, looking around.

"What did we do last night?"

"Alcohol," I said, by way of an answer. "Can't you remember?"

"No, I can't remember much," she said, looking troubled. My heart sank, a little. "Did I do anything embarrassing?" she continued, wary now. "Go on, just make fun of me now, let's get it out of the way."

"Well, apart from the whole trying to seduce me thing you had going on, you were just your average drunk…" I said, smirking.

"I tried to seduce you?" she asked, sounding mortified.

"Yep. You should walk around in your bra all the time. It's hot."

She covered her bright red face with her hands.

"Oh my God," she groaned, avoiding my eye.

"Don't worry," I said, "I won't tell."

I really wanted to add that she had kissed me. Twice. And that I had actually liked it. I just couldn't, though. It seemed too personal a thing for me to share, for some reason, and I didn't want her to think that I liked her.

She didn't like me, anyway, so it didn't matter.

Bella lay back down, still holding her face in her hands, but bolted upright again when her phone started ringing. She fished it out of her boots, where it seemed she had stashed it for the night, and checked the caller ID.

"Oh no," she breathed. "Oh shit. Dad."

To my surprise, she switched off the phone and threw it back into her boots.

I was impressed. "You really are ditching your good girl persona, aren't you?" I commented. "The volcano has erupted."

"Don't think you had anything to do with this," she said grumpily, lying down again.

"I predicted the whole thing."

"Yeah, whatever."

I grinned triumphantly. "The good Bella wouldn't have been lying in a hotel bed with the devilishly handsome Edward Cullen on a Sunday morning, recovering from a hangover, ignoring calls from her worried father. And you know it."

She snorted. "There is no good Bella and bad Bella, _Edward_. I'm just… doing what I want to do from now on, and what I don't want to do right now is explain to my dad where I am."

"My kind of girl," I said, still grinning in triumph. She fell silent, and was quiet for so long I had to open my eyes and turn my head in her direction to check she was still awake. She was staring at me, looking thoughtful.

"What?" I asked, paranoid.

"What did you mean?"

"What did I mean when?"

"When you said that I'm your kind of girl. What did you mean?"

"I, eh…" I trailed off, momentarily stuck for words. I hadn't really thought about what I was saying when I said it.

We were staring at each other again, fixed in another one of those moments, and Bella's eyes suddenly widened.

"I remember -" she said, and I didn't have to hear anymore. I didn't want to talk, anymore. I moved towards her and kissed her again, and she kissed me back, and it felt and tasted even better than last night because she was sober, and it was a sober kiss, and I still liked it, and she was kissing me like she wanted to. I couldn't stop myself. I crushed her against me and kissed her until everything got too heated and too hazy, and she pulled away first, almost gasping for air. We broke apart, staring at each other again, and then it became awkward.

"I… I'd better get up," Bella mumbled, and half fell out of the bed. I just lay there on her pillow, unmoving. I listened to her getting up and checking around for her stuff, and I just lay there, probing my feelings.

I still didn't know what I thought of Bella Swan. I was torn between what I had previously thought of her, what I was meant to think of her, and what I shouldn't think of her, which annoyingly enough, was what I thought of her.

I rolled my eyes. I didn't think I could possibly get any more confused.


	15. The Deadline

_I'm still not happy with this chapter, but I'm just going to post it and move on. It all hits the fan in the next chapter... ooh, excitement. That'll be updated on Monday, I promise. Thank you for the fab reviews, and a special shout out to the CBFC - the CrystalBrookeFanClub, who are all amazing and succeeded in making me highly emotional. LOVE! _

**Chapter Fifteen: The Deadline**

**Bella**

I splashed my face with water, and let it drip for a second before reaching for a towel. My head felt a little less clogged now, despite the loaded and swirling thoughts that I had for company.

I just kept thinking… Oh my God.

_Edward Cullen _kissed me.

Edward Cullen kissed _me_.

Edward Cullen _kissed_ me.

And I liked it. He was a good, good kisser… it was everything I thought it would be, everything I wanted it to be, and yet everything I hadn't expected. It was just… wow.

I shook my head a little, attempting to alert myself, as I was in danger of lapsing into another daydream. Edward was waiting for me outside with the bike, which he had gone to collect, while I was trying to collect _myself_.

I was struggling to recognise the girl in the mirror now, and I didn't know whether or not I was happy with that.

I turned away from my reflection, unwilling to think about it. I walked out of the hotel, Edward having already checked us out, and headed straight for the sexy and beautiful bronze haired guy, sitting astride a silver motorbike.

As we travelled back towards Forks, I could tell he was deep in thought, just like I was. I couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking about me.

I didn't know what was going on between us now. We had kissed, twice. That had to mean something. The confusing part was, that I didn't even know what I wanted it to mean. I just hated that our relationship was now blurry, and no longer definable.

I wished I could go back to disliking him. Then again, I wasn't even sure if I had ever really disliked him, at any point. Sure, he had been annoying and mean, and yet we somehow had managed to get here, to what we were now.

Whatever that was.

My attraction for him was taking over my entire body. I think I had always been attracted to him, from the second he approached me at that party almost a month ago. Then I had learned who he was, and while my head told me not to be attracted to him, the rest of me didn't listen. I just kept getting closer.

I just… I didn't want to get sucked in, like all the other poor girls seemed to. Edward Cullen was always portrayed as a tornado with girls, leaving devastation and broken hearts behind him. I didn't want to be dropped unceremoniously after a few weeks, just like them.

So I had to try and play it cool. If _Bella_ could ever really play it cool… I tended to wear my heart firmly on my sleeve. I just wanted to find out what he really wanted, if it was me at all, before I gave him too much of myself. I didn't want to give my heart away, just for him to crush it and break it and refuse to give it back.

I knew I had to reign myself in, because I was now acting out of character. He was making me crazy. I cringed as the memory of taking my top off in front of him flashed through my mind… I didn't know what I had been hoping to achieve in doing that. I was surprised he hadn't taken advantage, but I was glad at the same time; I hadn't been thinking straight, and sleeping with Edward Cullen may have not been an entirely good idea.

Ugh. Stupid Bella.

I pushed the memory away, hoping that he would never bring it up again, and let us both forget about it.

I began to notice signs pointing the way to Forks, and the nerves began to build. I was dreading a confrontation with Charlie; I had no idea what to say. It wasn't like me at all, to go somewhere without leaving him any kind of explanation… I felt incredibly guilty. He must be worried sick.

My stomach continued to twist and clench as Edward finally pulled up at the end of my driveway, out of view of my house. I climbed off awkwardly and returned the helmet, hesitating. I didn't know whether to say goodbye and start walking away, or hang around in the hope that he'd kiss me again.

He was still straddling the bike, but he pulled his helmet off and held it under his arm, gazing at me through his hair.

"Are you going to Emmett's party tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, shrugging. "Probably."

"I'll pick you up."

"OK," I agreed, trying to give off an air of indifference, but I didn't think I managed it. Edward gave me a little smirk, and he was so gorgeous, my heart almost couldn't stand it. I felt a mad urge to kiss him, but I didn't know if I could.

Just when I told myself to get a grip, and say goodbye and walk away, he swung his leg over the bike and was just way too close to me again, and I couldn't _think_…

For the second time that day, I totally made out with Edward Cullen. The hand holding the helmet was wrapped loosely around my back, but the other was gripping my waist firmly, keeping me right where I was. He kissed me slow, he kissed me hard, he kissed me good… I could feel his stubble roughly grazing against my chin, I could smell faded body spray and peppermint and leather… I was completely lost in him.

I had forgotten where I was and who I was, and had also forgotten there was anything else other than kissing Edward, so I brought back to earth with an abrupt bang when he pulled away. He looked at me, and I looked at him, and then everything was just awkward as hell again.

He stood back, cleared his throat a few times and fake coughed.

"Well," he muttered, jamming his helmet back on. "I'll see you later."

"Yep," I said, my voice an octave too high. "See you then."

I turned unsteadily and stumbled my way towards my house, my brain scrambled. I didn't look around as the sound of the motorbike roared into life, but I couldn't resist a glance as the leather and denim-clad God drove away.

* * *

I wasn't completely sure what time Edward was picking me up at, so I was ready early, adding little finishes touches to my makeup and hair to keep my hands occupied, and stop them from fidgeting. I felt very nervous, for a reason I couldn't quite get a grip of.

Alice had rung me earlier, and invited me to get ready for Emmett's party at her house, with Rosalie and Jasper, but I said no. I was too distracted to pretend that nothing was up, and I knew they'd wring the truth out of me in no time at all. I didn't want to admit to the kissing with Edward, yet. I still had to get my own head around it.

It wouldn't be long until they found out, anyway, since Edward and I were going to the party together. In an unofficial, but obvious sort of way.

I sighed loudly, wishing my life would stop complicating itself. I was so confused and unsure about everything now.

I thought back to the small argument I'd had with Charlie when I got home this morning. I lied and said I woke up early so I decided to take a walk, ended up getting lost, and my phone died. I was fully expecting him not to buy it, but he didn't call me out. He had been grumpy and sulky all day, but shrugged when I tentatively told him I was going out tonight, which usually meant that it was OK with him.

I didn't know what to do with myself, so I had made an extra effort for tonight, purely out of anxiety and the need to distract myself from something other than my thoughts of Edward. I'd painted my nails, plucked my eyebrows, and even spent twenty minutes painstakingly applying and reapplying liquid eyeliner, until I had it exactly right.

I was wearing a little black dress Alice had lent me, and I was beginning to think it was too much on the short side. I had nothing else to wear though, so it was going to have to do.

I eyed myself in the mirror, and was satisfied with my reflection. I would do. I applied another coat of waterproof mascara, not imagining that I would have any reason to test whether or not it worked.

My stomach twisted once more with unease.

I didn't know what was wrong with me. I just had such a bad feeling about something.

I heard a beep from outside, and I leapt to my feet, my heart thumping. He did not bring the bike to my front door, did he?! Charlie would have a stroke.

I peeked out of my window, and sighed in relief; sitting in the driveway was a shiny, silver… Volvo. I raised my eyebrows.

I carefully tottered down the stairs in my scary borrowed heels, and clattered into the hall.

"There's a car for you outside," Charlie called, from where he was relaxing in his armchair in the sitting room.

"OK, Dad. I'm gonna go now, alright?" I said, giving my appearance one last glance in the mirror in the hall.

"Alright," he said. "Don't be back too late."

"I won't, I promise."

I stepped outside into the cold, shivering slightly, still unable to shake the feeling it was going to be an explosive night.

* * *

**Edward**

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, my shoulders tense.

I didn't want to go to this party. I wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere but here. The feeling of dread hanging over me was crushing and suffocating.

I still hadn't told Bella. I still wanted to tell Bella. I was still putting it off.

I was just stuck in a ridiculous state of confusion, torn between wanting to be completely honest with Bella, and wondering if there was a way to brush all this under the carpet and pretend it never happened, and let Bella and I just carry on to wherever we were headed.

I didn't want things to change, so I was sort of leaning towards the second option. My conscience kept pulling me back.

If we were to have a relationship, then it couldn't be built on a lie. On a bet. I knew this, but at the same time I wanted to shake myself for thinking it. How did I let myself get here, to this place, where I was actually considering a _relationship_ with Bella Swan? A relationship that I actually wanted, needed, and couldn't stop thinking about?

I had no idea.

I had yet to admit to myself that I was into her. I kept trying to convince myself that I was acting this way because it was what I had to do to win the bet, but I knew deep down in my gut that it wasn't true. She was making me do things I never did. And now, every time she was too close, I couldn't stop myself from leaping at her.

I didn't leap at girls. I didn't have to. They usually leapt at me.

Bella Swan was nothing like those other girls… she wasn't out to get me just so she could regale the school of my kissing techniques. She wasn't leaping at me, desperate for a piece of me… she was just as unsure of me as I was of her.

I hated the awkwardness, that kept cropping up after the kissing. I really wanted that to just… go away, replace it with something else. I didn't know what. Maybe if we figured out what we _were_, it might help matters.

In an ordinary situation, I would simply ask Bella Swan out. Ask her for that relationship.

I wished so damn much that this was just an ordinary situation.

The bet with Emmett was lurking in the back of my mind, constantly. If she found out about it before I could tell her, she wouldn't want to know me anymore, and I wouldn't blame her. She would think I was only pursuing her for the money, and at the start, she would have been right.

My head still really hurt. All this thinking was too much for me; I had never wanted to think this much about a girl in my life. I didn't want to get that attached, that involved. Too late now.

I thought longingly of my bed, and wished I could just go home and the house wouldn't be full of people, and I could escape to under my duvet. Take an aspirin, and sleep this headache away. I didn't want to _think_ anymore; my brain was too scrambled, and I needed it to work this situation out for me.

I had to tell her about the bet tonight, before it was too late. I couldn't keep finding reasons to put it off any longer, like I kept doing. I just hoped that if I told her everything, and phrased it all right, then she would eventually be able to forgive me and still want to know me.

I hoped.

A sharp rap on the window jolted me out of my musings.

"You know, a gentleman would have gotten out of the car to open my door for me."

"What's a gentleman?" I asked dryly, feigning ignorance, pulling myself into the present. I watched a little wide-eyed as Bella's bare legs proceeded her as she climbed into the car. "That's a bit short," I added, before I could stop myself. She was wearing this black dress thing that clung to all her curves and was a gust of wind away from flashing whatever she had on underneath.

She gave me an appraising sort of look before tugging on the end of the dress self-consciously.

"So?" she demanded.

"Well, I mean…" I trailed off, realising I didn't have any argument at all. She had a great set of legs, and I wasn't shy in looking at them, either.

Bella just snorted and put on her seatbelt. "So what's with the car?" she asked, as I reversed out of her driveway.

"I thought it was too cold for the bike," I said, glancing at her briefly. "You would have frozen in that excuse for a dress. Plus, the wind would have wrecked your hair."

"I'm impressed, Edward. You've learned how to consider others."

"I know. I'm amazing."

There was a slightly awkward pause. I started drumming my fingers on the steering wheel again.

We didn't say much for the rest of the journey, which seemed to take forever in a car. She was fidgeting with her hands in her lap, leading me to think she was just as awkward around me as I felt around her. I wished it wasn't like this, and that I could just be upfront with her.

I could tell her right now. And I knew why I didn't.

I was a coward. I was loath to admit it, but I couldn't think of why else I couldn't just open my mouth and tell her about the bet. Tell her it didn't matter to me anymore. Tell her she mattered to me now.

I couldn't tell her, because I was a coward.

* * *

**Bella**

Edward was acting all tense and moody, so I figured it might be safer to remain silent, in case something I said triggered him off. The fact that he was tense was only increasing my anxiety, and the bad feeling in my gut.

About twenty cars were parked easily in the huge Cullen driveway, and from a distance I could just about make out Emmett at the door, greeting everyone who was arriving.

"Bella Swan," he boomed, as I walked up the porch steps with Edward. "The guest of honour!"

"Why me?" I grinned, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Because that is a hot little dress," Emmett said with a wink, and I blushed. Edward tugged on my arm, seemingly impatient about getting me into the house, and I assumed he was still annoyed over the whole Emmett thing. He really had to get over that.

I was about to go in, but Emmett stopped me before I could.

"And that is an odd looking mark on your neck, Bella, the one you've tried to hide with a load of makeup. Is that a hickey? Who gave you that? Was it Mike Newton? Ew, please don't tell me you have Mike Newton germs on you," Emmett said, wrinkling his nose.

"It wasn't Mike Newton," I said, rolling my eyes and blushing even worse. I heard Edward snort quietly to himself.

"Then who was it?" Emmett demanded, now eyeing Edward suspiciously.

"I never kiss and tell, Emmett," I replied, with a pointed look at him, before finally allowing Edward to lead me into the house.

"Do me a favour," Edward muttered in my ear, as we walked through the hall and into the large living room, which was around three-quarters full of people. "Steer clear of Emmett tonight."

"Why?" I asked, frowning.

"Just trust me."

"OK," I shrugged, and decided I would interrogate him about it later; he didn't look quite in the mood right now, and I didn't want to argue with him.

"Bella!"

I looked up at the sound of my name, and spotted Alice standing with Jasper, waving me over. I smiled and went to join them, only realising when I got there that Edward hadn't followed me. I glanced over my shoulder, but I couldn't see him.

"Did you arrive with Edward?" Alice asked, with a knowing grin.

"Yeah," I said, giving up on looking to see where he had gone, as I was being too obvious.

"Eh, hello?! Details, like!" Alice demanded.

"Oh, it's a very long story," I said, suddenly feeling very weary. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, OK?"

"Aw," she protested. "Is it a good one, though?"

"Yes, I think so," I said, unable to help a sly smile.

Alice grinned. "I've got my eye on you, Bella. You're a dark horse, for certain."

I blushed, waving my hand dismissively and rolling my eyes at Jasper. "Don't be dramatic, Alice."

"And you look fab, by the way," she added. "Doesn't she, Jazz?"

"Yep, first class," he agreed, and I blushed for perhaps the millionth time that night.

"Thanks," I mumbled, clearing my throat, eager to get the subject off of me. "So, where's Rosalie?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Alice said. "She wasn't with Emmett at the door?"

I shook my head.

"She must be checking her makeup or something then," Alice shrugged. "Their date went very well, did you hear about it?"

"No," I said guiltily, chewing on my lip. "I didn't even ask her about it. God, I'm such a bitch of a friend."

"Don't be silly, she won't care, she'll just be delighted to have someone else to talk about him non-stop with," Alice laughed.

"My ears can't take much more," Jasper joked.

I still felt bad. I had been so caught up in Edward lately that I had been neglecting everything and everyone else. I seriously had to get a grip.

"Oh look, there she is," Alice said, discreetly pointing to where Rosalie and Emmett were standing, very close together, both wearing identical flirty grins. As my eyes flickered away from them, their attention was suddenly caught by Edward, who was leaning against the wall just beyond them, looking at me.

He gave me a crooked sort of smile when I met his eyes.

"Edward Cullen is looking at you," Alice giggled, nudging me.

I didn't hear her. My attention was all on Edward, who was now beckoning me with his index finger, a different kind of expression on his face, one that I couldn't quite read.

"Edward Cullen is beckoning you over," Alice said excitedly, nudging me again.

"I know, I can see!" I hissed at her out of the corner of my mouth, my heart thumping. I arranged a sort of challenging expression on my face and beckoned him over here instead. He smirked, and heaved himself away from the wall.

"Oh my God, Edward Cullen is coming over here!"

"Oh, _Alice_, must you run a commentary?!" Jasper said in exasperation.

"Shush, Jasper, would you?!"

I could barely hear them. I was completely hooked on Edward, who was walking towards me, and everything had slowed down, like someone had pressed a slow motion button. Edward approached me, getting closer and closer, his eyes blazing and serious, and I couldn't look away.

He didn't stop or take a breath or hesitate, or even look like he was thinking about what he was doing; he walked straight up to me until he couldn't get any closer, grabbed hold of my chin, tilted my head up and kissed me.

Right there, in front of everybody.

My embarrassment and surprise were dimmed by the urgent nature of his kiss, and for just one second, I forgot where I was. I kissed him back automatically, like it was something I was used to - but like I could ever get used to him kissing me. When we broke apart, I felt the blood immediately rushing into my cheeks, as I was aware of more than a few stares.

Then Emmett's voice penetrated through my haze, as he exclaimed loudly.

"Aw, damn it!"


	16. The Eruption

_Eek, eek, eek. Thank you for the reviews, bbs! I'm delighted with this chapter anyway, I was afraid I wouldn't do it justice, but I'm happy! I hope you get a thrill reading it like the thrill I got when I wrote it... Enjoy! And in random news, I had a weird dream about this story last night, but it gave me a cool idea, so I'm re-writing the last few chapters to include it. Should be way better than my original plan! ;)_

**Chapter Sixteen: The Eruption**

**Bella**

I poured myself a glass of water from the tap and downed it in one. Despite the small dress, I was way too warm.

Garrett had called Edward's phone, so he had gone outside to take it where he could hear. Ever since he kissed me, which had been about an hour and a half ago, he hadn't left my side. People from school weren't staring at us quite so much anymore, but I knew it would be all around the school by Monday, and I should expect the attention. After all, _the_ Edward Cullen was never seen making out with girls from school quite so publicly.

Someone cleared their throat from right behind me, and I turned my head to see Alice and Rosalie standing there with their arms folded, identical expressions of expectation on their faces.

"Hi," I said, trying not to smile.

"Don't you '_hi_' me," Alice said, unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin too. "Since he's finally left you alone, are you going to tell us what's going on between the two of you or should we resort to methods of torture?"

I laughed. "I'd love to know what's going on between us as well."

"Has he asked you out or what?" Rosalie demanded.

"No," I shrugged. "We've just kissed a few times -"

"A few times?! Since when?!"

"Yesterday-"

"You've been making out with Edward Cullen since yesterday and you're only telling us now?!"

"Well, I've been a bit distracted, like."

"Understandably," Rosalie grinned. "But seriously, Bells, this is mega news, you should have told us!"

"I know, I just… wanted to get my own head around it first."

"Didn't I say you were a dark horse?" Alice said triumphantly. "I'm psychic about these things. You have actually tamed Edward Cullen, the serial womanising bad boy!"

"He's not actually like that, once you get to know him…"

"You've obviously gotten to know him very well," Rosalie put in smartly.

I blushed. "Yeah, well. He's nothing like what his reputation says he is, and I know he acted like a jerk towards me and nearly bugged me to death… but once you get past all that shit, he's a totally different person."

Alice and Rosalie exchanged a knowing look.

"She's smitten."

"I totally agree."

"Oh, shut up," I told them, ignoring their smirks. "I'm just playing it by ear right now."

"Uh-huh," Rosalie said, and I rolled my eyes.

"What about you and Emmett, then?" I demanded of her, desperate to get the subject away from me now. "Aren't you two getting very close?!" To my surprise, she frowned. "Yeah… but he's really annoying me tonight though. He hasn't stopped drinking since earlier, and he's an idiot when he's drunk."

"Oh," I said, and Alice made a sympathetic face.

"Don't worry about it, Rose, he's just being a _guy_," she said, as though being a guy was the worst thing on earth. "All guys are idiots."

At that moment, Jasper wandered into the room. He stopped and grinned at Alice.

"I'll remember you said that."

Alice just giggled. "We were just talking about Emmett and how much of an idiot he is when he's drunk."

"Yeah," Jasper frowned. "He's talking a load of shite to everyone, something about losing some bet."

"Yeah, Edward mentioned something about him having a bet on," I piped up, but stopped at the expressions on their faces. "What?" I demanded.

"Edward said this, Edward mentioned that… it's already begun," Rosalie grinned, and I rolled my eyes again.

"Give it a rest," I said, too amused to be annoyed at their teasing.

A distraction arrived in the form of Emmett exploding through the kitchen door.

"Ladies!" he boomed. "And Jasper! Here you all are… don't mind me, I'm just refilling my drink!" He staggered over to a crate of beer and cracked one open, chuckling to himself.

Rosalie huffed a little. "Don't you think you've had enough, Emmett?"

He spun unsteadily to face her. "Babe, I haven't had nearly enough! I'm broke! Poor! I'll be having nothing but nights in for the foreseeable future, so I gotta celebrate my last night of having money while I still can!"

"God, how much did you bet?" Alice asked him, shaking her head. I suddenly remembered that Edward had asked me to steer clear of Emmett, so I decided to leave the room, but what he said next made me stop.

"Three hundred bucks," Emmett hiccupped. "Stupid Edward is gunna be _so_ smug…and rich…" he trailed off, grumbling under his breath.

"Wait," I said, not sure I heard correctly. "You made the bet with _Edward_?"

"Yep!" Emmett said, with an air of devastation. "The bro. Eddie. Eduardo. The Edmeister!"

"What on earth did you bet Edward three hundred bucks on?!" Rosalie demanded.

The world seemed to slow down again, as Emmett raised his hand and pointed his index finger, right at me.

Alice, Rosalie and Jasper looked in my direction, frowning in confusion, just like I was. There was a short pause, in which no one really knew what to say.

"Me?" I eventually asked, and that really bad feeling in my gut was back, the twisting, wrenching, churning feeling of complete unease and dread.

"Yes, Bluebell!" Emmett said, taking another swig of beer. "You are the bet."

Something was beginning to crush my chest, making it impossible to breathe.

"Emmett."

Everyone's head, including mine, snapped over to the doorway.

Edward.

"What are you doing?" he demanded of his brother, his voice coloured with anger, yet an expression of something like horror on his face.

"I'm just telling Bella about our little bet, little bro!" Emmett said, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere in the room. "I'm hoping she'll sympathise to the fact I have to pay you three hundred bucks, you pain in my ass! Maybe she'll give me another kiss, if I'm lucky!" he joked, laughing to himself and throwing me a lopsided wink.

The world kept spinning to a stop. I was disorientated, not sure if my ears were working correctly, or if this was really happening.

The pain in my chest was now so unbearable, I could barely stand upright. I wanted to curl up into a ball on the ground, but I was frozen in place.

"What?" Rosalie said, her voice snapping like a whip through the silence in the room. "Another kiss? What's he talking about, Bella?" she asked, a steely look developing in her eyes.

"Oh, whoops," Emmett said, staggering towards her a little. "I meant to tell you, Rosie, but I forgot! It was weeks ago, anyway!"

"Did you kiss Emmett, Bella?" Rosalie asked me, completely ignoring him.

I was too choked up to speak, but she seemed to take her answer from my expression; she was furious. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"It's no big deal, Rose, anyway," Emmett continued, swaying where he stood. "Don't have a conniption. I only kissed her to see if it would get her interested in me, so that Edward would lose the damn bet! But no, the sly prick only went and snuck out with her every time, and even though I was certain you'd turn him down, Bells, he only went and charmed the hell out of you -"

"Emmett, shut the hell up!" Edward snapped, sounding incredibly mad.

There was another silence, as we all remembered the main issue here, the one more pressing than the fact I had kissed Emmett. Rosalie even forgot to look angry with me.

Bet. Edward. Money. Bet.

Me.

I still couldn't breathe, and I was looking at Edward, who was staring at me, his eyes wide and afraid and shocked and angry and pleading.

"Is he… telling… the truth?" I asked, unable to speak without taking deep breaths in between the words.

I knew I was almost embarrassing myself. I knew that it was obvious to everyone that I was two seconds away from completely freaking out. I didn't care.

"Bella, you have to understand -" Edward began.

"Is he?!" I interrupted, my voice louder than I intended it to be.

Edward flinched, and dropped my gaze, staring at the floor.

"Yes," he said, and I couldn't breathe anymore - it was too painful. I just started stumbling away.

"Bella!"

They all called my name. Alice, Jasper, Emmett… even Rosalie. And Edward.

I ignored them all, because I needed to get away, I needed to be on my own, I needed just a moment to make it hurt a little less before I could face them all again.

I somehow managed to find the bathroom, and I was just about to lock the door, when Edward forced his way in.

"Get out -" I started to say, with as much anger as I could summon to my voice, but I was cut off. Because he kissed me.

* * *

**Edward**

I couldn't believe I let this happen.

I was angry. I could feel the rage pulsing through my entire body, and I was practically shaking with it.

I was so angry at Emmett, for opening his big huge mouth and destroying everything.

I was so angry at Bella, for reacting in exactly the way she was supposed to react, the way I didn't want her to react, the way she _should_ react.

I was so angry at myself.

I couldn't believe I let this happen - I had all the time in the world to stop this from happening.

And now look.

I was so goddamn _angry_.

I followed her when she ran away, I called her name and tried to get her to stop, to listen to me, and I forced my way through the door she tried to lock on me. I wasn't thinking clearly anymore; my mind was in survival mode. How could we survive this situation? How would I survive if Bella told me to go?

I pushed her against the closed door and kissed her, my lips aggressive and urgent and moving against her unresponsive lips.

I just wanted one last kiss, in case it was over.

But it shouldn't be like this. Not like this.

She pushed me off her.

"Don't touch me, Edward, don't you dare touch me -"

"Bella, you need to listen to me," I said, not even caring that I was begging.

"No! I don't! Get out!"

"You don't understand -"

"I understand plenty, believe me, Edward! How much did you and Emmett laugh at me behind my back? How much fun did you have, pushing me and pushing me until I fell for you? When none of it was even real?! I was just a bet! I'm such a sucker!" she yelled, and she was so angry and so beautiful and I couldn't stand this.

"It wasn't like that, Bella, I swear to you -" I began, but she cut me off again. She didn't want to listen to me. Why would she?

"Don't lie to me," she hissed. "I don't want to hear any more of your lies. I've had enough. I'm done! You know, you're the one with the charade, Edward! You want everyone to think you're a badass and you don't care about anything, but it's all a big elaborate lie! You're a fake! A pathetic fake, and I can't believe I actually was stupid enough to get involved with you, because it wasn't even _you_!" She stopped to draw a breath, and I let her yell into my face. I couldn't even argue with her. I didn't know how I could possibly defend myself.

"I wasted my time. _You_ just wasted my time. And I'm done. Now leave me alone." She glared at me, breathing rapidly, and I couldn't leave it like this.

Not like this.

"Bella, please don't say that," I pleaded softly, and my tone seemed to calm her down a little. "I made this bet before I knew you, before everything. I wasn't being fake, I promise you that."

"Was any of it even real?" she demanded, and it was like I knew what she was thinking… a deluge of memories flooded my head; lying in the meadow, baring our souls; the chemistry, the flirting; fiercely protecting her from James; getting the piercings done together and holding one another's hands; the jealously over Emmett; the moment at the piano; the kisses, both drunk and sober; the moments were we completely lost ourselves in one another's eyes…

"Yes, it was real," I told her vehemently, because it was. What we had was so real we could have held it in the palm of our hands. The bet never altered any of it. All it did was push me towards Bella, but I did the rest. I fell for her, and hoped she was falling for me.

"But how do I know that?" she said, her voice breaking slightly. "How do I know that every sentence out of your mouth was the truth? How do I know if I've even met the _real_ Edward Cullen? I don't."

I couldn't quite breathe right. This could not be happening. I could not have let this happen.

I destroyed us before we had even begun.

Before I even knew I wanted us to begin.

"You made a bet," she muttered, looking away from me. "All I was to you was a bet, and you've won it. Congratulations."

"Bella-"

"Edward, just go."

I couldn't allow my legs to move. This couldn't be _it_. It couldn't.

"Bella, please -"

The next second was nothing but blank shock, and then I could feel again. All the horror, all the fear, rushed back with their forceful intensities, almost too much for me to feel.

My cheek was stinging, adding to the pain.

She slapped me.

_You're a volcano, Bella, and one day you'll explode. One day, you'll slap me, because I deserve it._

I said that to her. So long ago. Before the bet.

_One day, you'll slap me, because I deserve it._

My own words echoed in my head, and my cheek stung, and she was telling me to go again.

There was nothing I could do.

She slapped me. I deserved it. She hated me.

This was all my fault.

I left the bathroom, feeling as though my head might explode from all this hurt and pain and guilt and regret.

How could I have let this happen?

Like _this_?

* * *

**Bella**

He finally left, but it didn't make the pain better, like I thought it would. It made it worse.

The tears finally started to fall. I couldn't believe I fell right into his trap, his game. I was nothing to him but a bet.

I doubled over with the intensity of the hurt I was feeling, sliding on the floor, wrapping my arms around my torso as though I might be able to hold myself together.

Why did I care like this? It hurt _so much_… I didn't even realise how much I cared. I didn't want to care like this.

I sat there on the cold bathroom floor, hurting and crying and I don't know how long I was there like that.

Then, there was a knock on the door, and I could hear Alice's voice.

"Bella, are you in there? Let me in."

I didn't want to move, but I couldn't sit here all night. I should go home, where I could hide under my duvet and cry and hurt and not have to pretend that I was OK.

I stood up slowly, and found myself face to face with my reflection. Two black streaks of mascara and eyeliner ran down my cheeks from my eyes, which were black and smudged. I stared at myself, a little horrified by my appearance. There was so much agony apparent in my eyes, and I didn't like it.

I didn't want to care about him like this.

I didn't want to hurt over him this much.

I splashed my cheeks with water, washing the worst of it away, but my skin was still stained. I stumbled to let Alice in, who was waiting outside the door, her expression worried and concerned and I didn't deserve it.

I brought this on myself. I was told he was nothing but trouble and bad news. I didn't listen, and now this.

Her eyes widened at the sight of me. "Oh, Bella…"

"A bet," I said, my face crumpling again, any strength I had regained completely disintegrating. "I was nothing more than a bet…"

Alice wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly, and I found myself wishing that I could just erase the last month.

But I knew, if I had had the choice to erase the memories, I wouldn't. Even though they were all tainted with lies and deceit, maybe a part of me knew that Edward was telling the truth when he said that it was all real.

But I couldn't trust him anymore. If he had lied all this time, he could lie again, and I cared about him too much to go through this all over again.

I didn't want to hurt like this; it was unbearable.

So, I was only going to hurt like this once, and then move on. Get over Edward Cullen.

I couldn't allow myself to go back.

It was too late.


	17. The Aftermath

_O hai. Sorry about the wait, it was accidental. Thank you for the unreal reviews, they never cease to amaze me, and each one is pure appreciated. For real ;). Chapt18 will be tomorrow if nothing goes wrong, and I've barely started 19 so I better rush off home and start it. Oh, and if anyone is interested in reading the random and ridiculous thoughts that come out of my head at any point in the day, and also wants to hear about updates, catch me on Twitter. Search for LeaGrreen. I'm starting to catch the bug :D. Shout out to Jen and Eimear...just because. xXoxoXOx_

**Chapter Seventeen: The Aftermath**

**Bella**

I spent Sunday in my bed with my headphones in my ears.

I ignored my phone, I ignored my dad, I ignored my thoughts. I just lost myself in my music.

I always found that Linkin Park were the best cure for when I was feeling angry or hurt or both; the slamming guitars and raw vocals expressed exactly how I was feeling.

Numb. Faint. In Pieces.

I replayed the songs when I could relate the lyrics to my situation, and I just lay there, mouthing the words, and refusing to think about Edward.

* * *

I woke up before my alarm the next morning, and debated whether or not to go into school. I didn't want to face my friends, and have them attempt to comfort me and make me feel better in any way - it would just make me feel worse. I didn't want to face _him_, if he showed up at all.

But then again, I didn't want to stay here, completely alone with nothing but silence for company.

I got up and got ready for school. I dressed down in jeans and a hoodie, not overly bothered with what I looked like. I hadn't even realised it at the time, but I used to make sure I had makeup on and was always wearing something flattering to school, just in case Edward happened to be in school that day. I shouldn't have bothered.

I told myself off for thinking about Edward again. He just kept cropping up in my mind, and it had to stop. I _had_ to get over him, and stop losing myself in the memories of the past month, because it had been nothing but a lie.

I stomped outside to my truck, not in the best of moods. Thankfully, I had gone past the upset and crying stage, past the unresponsive and withdrawn stage, and now all that was left was the bitterness. I was hoping I would progress to the next stage quickly, which was indifference. I didn't want to feel anything for him anymore.

I made my way to school, and as I got out of the truck I noticed people were staring at me, and nudging their friends. For one horrific second, I was sure they all knew about the bet, and were all laughing at how gullible and stupid I was. But maybe they didn't know, how could they? Everything happened away from the party.

I then recalled the kiss, and figured that it was probably the big news around here now. It was weird, thinking back to that moment with Edward. Before I knew. Before I found out, right when I just thought that we were slowly realising what we wanted: each other.

Stupid, gullible Bella.

I heard a familiar voice calling my name, and I stopped, waiting for Alice to catch up. Just get it over with, I told myself. Let her pity, let her sympathise, and let her realise that I'm already over it, and move on to something else we can talk about.

I didn't want to talk about this again, ever. I just wanted to forget.

Alice appeared at my side, and touched my arm.

"Bells," she said, and I hated her concerned expression. It was so predictable. "I didn't think you'd be in today."

"Why shouldn't I be?" I shrugged.

Alice wisely decided not to answer that. "Are you OK?"

"Yes. What about you?"

"I'm fine," Alice said, looking a small bit taken aback. Maybe she had been expecting me to cry on her shoulder again, like I had done Saturday night. Maybe she had expected me to still be looking for comfort.

"Cool. Did you do anything interesting yesterday?" I asked, determined to change the subject completely. Alice frowned a little, but she seemed to get the hint. She started talking about her hanging out with Jasper last night, and about how he was out of school today because he thought he was catching the flu, and I walked with her towards our first class, half listening.

As we made our way up the corridor, I suddenly stopped halfway. Right in front of me, were Emmett and Rosalie, their arms wrapped around each other. They both looked up at me at the same time, and I felt sick with anger and hurt.

I didn't want to see Emmett. He had been playing with me too, pretending to look out for me by warning me away from Edward, kissing me with hidden agendas… Emmett had been just as bad as Edward.

I had been just money to him. Just a bet.

And I knew I should have told Rosalie about the kiss, and I was sorry it came out the way it did. But why was she condoning his behaviour, by getting with him and pretending like it never happened?

It did happen. It happened to me.

I turned around and started walking away. School had definitely been a bad idea. I wasn't ready for it yet.

"Bella!" Alice called. "Where are you going?!"

"I changed my mind, I don't feel like school today after all," I replied loudly.

"Bella!" I heard Rosalie say, but I ignored her.

"Bluebell, wait!"

"Don't speak to me, Emmett!" I snapped, throwing him a nasty look over my shoulder. "Don't even waste your breath."

I looked back to where I was going, and stopped dead again.

There was Edward, arriving late for school as usual, and he stopped when he saw me too.

"Bella," he said.

I wanted to laugh for some mad reason at the ridiculousness of it all, but I was taken aback.

He looked like crap. His eyes were hooded and sunken into his head, his hair was a compete mess and not in a good way, and he seemed to have given up on shaving altogether. He looked scruffy and tired and defeated.

I remembered that I was supposed to be leaving, and not standing there staring at him, so I made to walk past him. He blocked me.

"Bella," he said again. "Wait."

"No," I muttered, trying to move past him again, but he kept blocking me.

"Please talk to me," he pleaded, and I almost softened. Almost.

I still liked him, way too much, and I couldn't be around him if I wanted to get over him. He hurt me, badly, and I couldn't just ignore it.

"I don't want to," I said, and he let me pass this time. I headed towards my truck, trying to numb my emotions, which were threatening to overwhelm me.

"Bella!" Edward called, not even hiding his desperation. "I'll do anything you want!"

I kept going, not allowing or trusting myself to respond. There was a lot of things I wanted, but I was just going to have to accept that I couldn't have them all. I couldn't turn back time. I couldn't get over this quickly and easily. I couldn't have him. I couldn't breathe very well without him.

It was just the way it was.

* * *

I spent the rest of the day at home, going through a whole tube of Pringles and a chocolate bar, watching bad daytime television. I lost track of time, sometimes paying attention to the TV, sometimes reliving moments with Edward and wondering if I could have somehow seen that it was all false.

I was surprised when Charlie arrived home, and I jumped from the couch, where I had wedged myself in for the day.

"Hi, Dad," I said, going out into the hall. "I haven't even started dinner yet, sorry."

"Oh, it's OK," Charlie said dismissively, hanging up his coat and his gun. "I'm not too hungry just yet, anyway."

As he spoke my own stomach growled; I hadn't had much sustenance today. I'd better eat something proper, or I'd just feel worse than I how I felt already.

I was about to head into the kitchen, when we both paused. An engine had just roared loudly into our driveway - a very familiar engine.

"Who on earth is that?" Charlie said, while I leapt towards the window to peek outside… it was Edward on his bike. I panicked.

"Dad," I said hurriedly, cutting off his wonderings about who it could be. "It's a friend of mine from school, but I'm not in, OK?"

Charlie looked bewildered. "What?"

"I've gone out, Dad, alright? I don't want to talk to him," I said, and quickly hid in the kitchen. There was a knock on the door, and I listened to Charlie answering it.

"Yes?" he said, and I could imagine him eyeing up Edward suspiciously. He always mistrusted people who drove motorbikes.

"Hi, Chief Swan," Edward said, in a respectful sort of voice I had never heard before. One that really didn't suit him. "Is Bella home?"

"No, she's not, I'm afraid," Charlie replied, and I cringed; he was as just as bad a liar as I was.

"She's not? But her truck is outside."

"Yeah… she went out walking," Charlie explained unconvincingly.

"I see," Edward said, but to my relief he seemed to give up. "OK. Well, when she comes back will you please tell her I came here, and that I really need to talk to her. It's important. And tell her… tell her I'm sorry."

"No problem," Charlie said, sounding confused. I heard him close the door, and I listened intently as the motorbike engine started up again, and drove away.

Charlie appeared in the doorway.

"Do I want to know what that was all about?" he said.

"Nah, Dad, you really don't."

"Is he your boyfriend or whatnot…?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "He never was and never will be, don't worry."

"OK," Charlie said, sensing the brewing storm behind my tone and choosing to avoid it. "Well! I'm going to watch a bit of TV before dinner."

He left me along in the kitchen, and I didn't move. I just thought.

I was sorry, too.

I took the next day off school, but I knew I couldn't avoid them all forever. I lay in bed on Wednesday, debating with myself whether or not to just stay where I was or grit my teeth and go to school. By the time I had chosen the latter, I was running quite late, and gratefully slunk into my first class with a mumbled apology, glad to be avoiding any interrogations from anybody.

The minute the bell rang, I was already up and rushing out of the class before anyone could catch up with me. I just didn't want a conversation.

It was hard, though. Everywhere I turned, I saw Emmett, or Rosalie, or Alice… and they were all looking at me like I was unstable, a volcano about to erupt at any minute. I hated it. I just wished we could all forget about this mess. Sometimes I even wished there was a way I could turn back time, and never have found out about the bet. It would have stayed a secret, and I could have gone back to thinking about Edward the way I used to.

It was useless, thinking like that. A relationship built on a lie never would have worked out well.

I dreaded Biology all day, and almost didn't enter the room. I hadn't seen Edward at all, but I could still never be sure. I walked towards my seat, breathing out in relief when I noticed he wasn't in the room, and sat down, waiting with bated breath. Just when I started to relax, coming to the assumption that he wasn't in school, he walked through the door.

There was nothing I could do. I couldn't very well get up and run out of the class, although it was an option.

I was suddenly aware of people looking at me, at us, and I wanted to roll my eyes, remembering how they stupidly must still be interested in what was going on between us… I felt under an immense pressure, like everybody was just watching and waiting to see what I'd do next.

It was too much for me to handle.

He sat down next to me.

"Hi, Bella," he said, and I didn't reply. I couldn't. I just slumped on my desk, facing away from him. He didn't say anything else, and most of the class was spent trying to ignore the fact that he was there, so close to me, close enough to reach out and touch.

At one point, Mr Banner came around to collect our homework. I didn't have mine done, as I had been absent and couldn't be bothered with ringing anybody to ask them what it was. Mr Banner pursed his lips in slight disapproval when I had nothing to show him, but he didn't say anything. He moved on to Edward, who, to my completely shock and surprise, handed up a neatly written page of answers.

"Very good, Cullen," Mr Banner said. "I could never understand why you would just let your brains go to waste."

He moved on again, and Edward glanced at me, catching my slightly sceptical look.

"What?" he said.

"Nothing," I replied, shaking my head. "I just hope you know that if you were trying to impress me by acting mature and responsible for once, it didn't work."

Edward glared. "I'm going to be expelled if I don't start applying myself, for your information," he snapped. "Although I'm beginning to think you wouldn't even be bothered by that."

I was silent, taken aback. I wanted to feel nothing but anger towards him, and I hated the guilt that seeped through me instead.

"Sorry," I muttered eventually, still feeling bad. "I didn't mean to assume."

"You're always assuming," he threw at me.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, flaring up at his accusatory tone.

"You assume I set out to hurt you when I made that bet. You assume the bet still even mattered to me when you found out about it. You assume I'm not sorry. You assume I don't care. And you're wrong about all of it. I didn't mean to hurt you, it didn't matter to me anymore, I am sorry and I do care. I'm such a terrible person now, aren't I?"

"Would you two mind continuing your conversation after class?" Mr Banner admonished us suddenly, and we both jumped. I immediately stared down at the table in front of me, my heart hammering at all the things he said. Did he really mean them? He seemed so sincere, but then again, I thought he was sincere before all this.

We spent the rest of the class fidgeting and avoiding each other's eyes, all the words we never got a chance to say weighing heavily in the air. The bell finally rang, and the classroom was suddenly full of chatter, and the words seemed to disintegrate to nothing. Everything I wanted to say… I just couldn't say it.

We both stood up, packing our things away, and before I left, I looked him in the eye.

"Was I ever more than just a bet to you?" I asked, because I had to know. I had to make sure at least some of it was real.

He gazed back at me, right into my eyes, and I tried not to let him mesmerise me, like I knew he could.

"Yes," he said.

I had to leave, because I knew if I stayed with him for one more second, I might break down.

"I don't know what else to do, Bella," Edward called after me. "You'll have to meet me halfway, if you want to…"

Once again, I didn't trust myself to reply, as I couldn't have said anything I wanted to say to him without bursting into tears. I couldn't cry in front of him; I couldn't let him know how much this affected me, how let down I felt.

Just in case I had liked him more than he liked me.

Which had probably been the case anyway, because he had only liked me because he had to.

In order to win the damn bet.

* * *

I was lying on my bed, thinking about doing my homework, when my phone started ringing. I picked it up cautiously, and my eyebrows raised when I read Garrett's name on my screen.

"Bella!" he exclaimed, when I answered the phone. "How are you, doll face?!"

"Fine," I said, realising that I was actually smiling. "How are you?"

"To be honest with you, Bella, I'm quite upset."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't seen you in ages. Do I smell or something?"

"Well, now that you mention it…"

"That was a rhetorical question, but thanks very much."

"And what are you talking about, you haven't seen me in ages? You saw me at the weekend!"

"The weekend was ages ago, Bella," Garrett said patronisingly, and I rolled my eyes, grinning. "So are you coming to visit us now?"

"I dunno, Gar…"

"Oh, please. Just pop into the bar for a few hours, and then you can go off home again. Go on, you know you want to…"

"Is Edward there?" I asked hesitantly, and I noticed when Garrett paused.

"No. Why? Thought you two were joined at the hip nowadays."

"We're not," I said. "Any more."

"What happened?"

"He made a bet with his brother, and I was it. He was just using me to make a quick three hundred bucks."

"Ouch," Garrett winced. "That's Edward at his very worst, I'm afraid."

"Yeah," I said, sighing heavily.

"So come on down here and forget your troubles!" Garrett insisted. "There will be no drowning of sorrows," he added sternly, "but at least you'll have a laugh."

"Hmm," I said, stalling for time, considering it. It didn't take long to make up my mind - screw it, I thought to myself.

"I'll go," I decided, "if you promise Edward isn't there."

"He's not, haven't seen him in a while," Garrett said, in an angelic voice.

"OK," I said. "I'll be there in a while, then."

"Yay! See you soon."

"Yep." I hung up, and sighed again. I had nothing to lose. I might as well go up for a while, and take my mind off Edward for a few hours.

I told Charlie I was going out, and he reminded me that it was a school night.

"I know," I assured him. "I'll be back as early as I can."

"Well, be careful," he grunted, his eyes already back on the television screen.

I left straightaway, not bothering to change out of my skinny jeans and baggy grey hoodie. I didn't care anymore about dressing up to fit in with Edward's crowd.

I climbed into my truck, not realising that I had been so worried asking about whether or not Edward was in Port Angeles, that I never thought to ask about James.

* * *

**Edward**

I stood outside Garrett's bar, smoking the end of my fourth cigarette.

I felt like giving up. On everything. I had gone through my life so far, never aspiring to achieve anything, never setting my hopes on anyone, and not once did I ever _want_ anybody. I just floated along, making do and living in the moment, not thinking ahead.

And now, there was finally somebody I _wanted_, who I was thinking about in the long term, someone who was perfect to me in every way… and I couldn't have her. And it was my fault.

My life _sucked_.

A motorbike roared into the street, and I found myself admiring it as it pulled into a space in front of me. Nice. Expensive looking. The owner jumped off it and pulled his helmet off, and my heart stopped.

Laurent.

_Shit_.

I tried to run into the bar, but he was just too quick for me. He grabbed me by my leather jacket, and pulled me easily away from the entrance, dragging me around the street corner.

I could have fought him, but I just couldn't find the energy or strength anywhere in my body. What would I be fighting him for?

I still felt the thrill of dread, when I spotted James waiting on the two of us.

"Hello, Cullen," he said, smiling like a cat who finally caught the mouse. "I believe we have some scores to settle."


	18. The Hurt

_Phew! In rush! Must update and run! Gah! Under pressure! Thanks for reviews! Love everyone! Enjoy! Xxx!_

**Chapter Eighteen: The Hurt**

**Bella**

I was worried I would get lost, as I only vaguely remembered the way to Garrett's bar, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I managed to find it without too much difficulty. I parked my truck next to the row of motorbikes, and headed inside, fidgeting with the sleeves of my hoodie.

The first person I spotted was Tanya, sitting next to an extremely unattractive guy at one of the tables, and I waved sarcastically, smirking. She just glared.

"Bella!" I turned my head and there was Garrett, leaning against the bar, looking a bit grimmer than I would have expected.

"Hey, Gar," I smiled, approaching him. "Look happy to see me, why don't you."

"Something's happened," he said. "It's Edward."

"Edward's _here_? You promised me he wasn't," I began to complain, but the seriousness in Garrett's face stopped me. "What's happened?" I asked instead, starting to worry.

He beckoned me to follow him, and I walked with him towards the back room, fidgeting even worse. Garrett and I walked through the beads, and he stood back so I could see for myself.

I gasped, and my hands covered my mouth in horror.

"Oh, what the hell _happened_ to him?!" I cried, my eyes filling up with tears.

Somebody had beaten the absolute crap out of him. Edward's face was bruised and swollen, cuts on his lip and cheek and forehead were bleeding, as was his nose, and he was lying on the sofa with his arms around his stomach, asleep, an empty bottle of vodka clutched in one hand.

"He staggered in here about ten minutes ago, bleeding and muttering about James," Garrett explained, sighing heavily.

"_James_?" I repeated, gasping again. "Why would James _hurt_ him like this?!"

"That's James for you," Garrett snorted. "He holds grudges, and Edward has definitely upset him a few times. Most recently with you."

"Ugh, if Edward had just not made his stupid bet and left me alone in the first place, none of _this_ would have happened!" I exploded, the tears still threatening to fall from my eyes. No matter what Edward had done to me, I would never have wished this on him. He didn't deserve _this_.

I wanted to sit with him. I wanted to clean his wounds, bandage him up, hold ice to the bruises… do whatever I had to. I wanted to make him OK again. But I just didn't trust myself enough.

What if I softened? And what if I crazily took him back? What if he hurt me again, but worse? I wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Kate and Carmen tried to clean him up a bit, but he wouldn't let them. He just snuck a bottle of vodka from the bar and downed the whole lot before conking out here. He's a mess. This is what you're doing to him, Bella."

"Excuse me?" I spluttered, taken aback. "What _I'm_ doing to him? He's doing this to himself, and I would _never_ have wanted to see him hurt like this! And what about what he did to me? Don't my feelings matter?"

Garrett was about to reply, when Edward stirred suddenly, and my heart stopped.

"Bella," he mumbled, his eyes opening blearily, but they fluttered shut again, and he appeared to fall back asleep, snoring lightly. I exhaled, sort of glad he hadn't woken up. I didn't think I could face a conversation with him.

"Come on," Garrett said, "there's no point in standing here looking at him. We'll just have to wait until he sleeps it off."

I nodded, and followed him back out of the room. Kate and Carmen were sitting at a table near the bar, as there was no one to be served, and we joined them.

"Is he still out cold?" Kate asked concernedly, and frowned when Garrett nodded. "James is such a bastard."

"Tell me about it," Garrett said. "He's a psychopath. Edward is going to be sore for weeks."

"We tried to make him go to the hospital," Carmen told me, noticing how pale I was. "There's bruising all across his stomach and ribs, and we were afraid something might be broken or fractured. We tried to tell him to call the cops too, but he wouldn't do any of it."

I didn't want to hear this. It was like kicks against my already fragile heart. It hurt.

I listened rather than participated in their discussion, as they began wondering where James was now and when Edward would wake up, and what he would do next. I was holding on to my willpower by the edges of my fingernails.

Everything that still cared about Edward was tugging my body towards the room where he lay, broken and beaten. Everything that still cared about Edward _was_ everything; my heart, my head… all of me. I hadn't gotten over him, not even a little bit, and I had been useless to even try.

It frustrated and angered me, because he had done something so cruel and hurtful, and used me, and yet… it didn't matter to me anymore, because the fact that he was so beaten and injured was a far greater hurt than my own.

I didn't quite know what it all meant. I didn't know what to do next.

Just then, two things happened simultaneously.

James walked into the bar.

Edward staggered out of the back room.

Both of them saw me, and stopped, and my heart leapt for two very different reasons. My blood ran cold. I refused to look at either of them, cursing my stupidity. I shouldn't have put myself in the way of James again. I shouldn't have come at all.

My table fell quiet, as they all seemed to have spotted James. I think I was the only one who noticed Edward.

"How dare he come in here?!" Kate hissed, looking murderous.

"He won't be causing trouble in here, unless he wants Benjamin to knock him out cold," Garrett said, signalling at his huge bouncer, who winked and proceeded to eye James like a hawk. I sneaked a glance upwards, and saw him sitting in a booth on his own, still watching me.

I shivered, dropping my gaze, and looked up to see where Edward had gone; he was nowhere to be seen. I assumed he had gone into the back room again.

"I'm just going to the bathroom," I said, hurriedly excusing myself. I couldn't sit there, feeling James's eyes on me, pretending it didn't make me feel sick.

I locked myself in a cubicle and tried to keep breathing. I took slow, steady breaths, attempting to calm my heart rate.

I had to go home, now. I couldn't handle this. Any of it.

I unlocked the cubicle door, and stopped dead, because James was standing right outside it. Panic gripped me, and I swallowed, trying to keep a hold of any calm that I had regained. Benjamin or Garrett must have seen him come in. They'd intervene at any second, and get him away from me.

"Hi, babe," James said smoothly, his eyes flicking up and down my body, and I tried not to shudder, completely glad that I hadn't bothered to wear anything short or clingy. "You never came to see me," he pouted, but I could hear the thinly veiled danger behind his tone.

"I had a curfew," I stammered, working hard to keep my expression neutral and unafraid. Guys like this just got off when you showed fear.

"Ah, so Cinderella must return before midnight…" My heart thumped in horror as he checked his watch. "We still got time," he said, grinning slowly, and moved closer to me. I took an automatic step backwards.

"I have… I have a boyfriend," I tried to lie desperately. I knew saying it wouldn't achieve anything, but I couldn't just _comply_… I couldn't give _up_.

"No, you don't. Cullen ignored you in the bar not five minutes ago, don't think I didn't see that. So, don't try that one on me," James warned, moving towards me again, looking more and more menacing after each step.

"Don't you talk about Edward," I snapped, feeling the anger flaring up, despite my panic and fear. "I saw what you did to him. How dare you hurt him like that!"

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" James smiled, not looking at all concerned by what I was saying. He was still creeping towards me, and I kept stepping backwards, but I knew I was being cornered. My mind was so scared, it was completely blank, and unable to think of anything that might get me out of this. Yet, I could still feel the anger at James, so my mouth kept talking, even though I knew what I was saying would only rile him up.

"Does it make you feel like a man, to beat other men to a pulp? Does it make you feel like a man, to force girls into doing whatever you want them to do?" I threw at him, watching with both fear and satisfaction as his expression hardened. Clearly, he had had enough of listening to me.

I felt the toilet seat hit against my shins, and I didn't have anywhere else to go. I was trapped, with James in the door of the cubicle, seconds away from locking both of us in. I opened my mouth to scream, but before I could, a pair of hands were gripping James's shoulders and pulling him back out of the cubicle, sending him smashing into the sinks.

It was Edward, looking, despite all his injuries, strong and unafraid and absolutely furious.

"Don't you touch her," he spat, glaring at James, who was smirking.

"Didn't get enough the first time, Cullen? Finally gonna fight back, eh?"

I could only watch, frozen and horrified, as Edward threw a punch at him. I wanted to scream at him to stop, because he was already so hurt, and James would just make it worse. It would finish me off, if Edward became any more hurt.

Before James could retaliate, Garrett and Benjamin finally burst into the room, and he lost of a bit of his swagger.

"You'd need two people behind you before you could challenge me, ain't that right, Cullen?" he sneered, and Edward didn't hesitate in hitting him again. Finally provoked, James launched himself at Edward, and then there was just nothing but chaos, as Garrett and Benjamin joined in. Nothing registered in my mind but fright, and I only started breathing again when James was lying unconscious on the floor, a large lump on his head.

"Throw him out into the garbage skip," Garrett said, spitting on him, and Benjamin picked him James up like he weighed nothing, and dragged him out of the room.

I could only look at Edward, who was shuffling towards the counter, one arm around his torso. His cheek was bleeding worse than ever, and I had finally had enough of seeing him like this. I cared about him too much.

"Gar, do you have a first aid kit?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yep. I'll get it. And I'm sorry we took so long. Some assholes started a fight at the jukebox, and Benjamin naturally went to break it up, and James seized his chance to sneak off. We only realised where he must be when Edward appeared and demanded to know where you were."

"It's OK," I said, not needing to hear it. Everything was OK now. Well, it would be.

"I'll get that first aid kit," Garrett said, and left the room. Edward wouldn't look at me, and just leaned against the wall, as though he needed it to keep him standing up. I longed to cross the room and wrap my arms around him, but I didn't know if he'd want me to. Maybe he had given up on me. Maybe he wasn't interested in having me back anymore.

Garrett was back within minutes, handed me the kit, and said he was going to ring the cops about James. He left the room again, and I tentatively walked up to Edward.

"Are you OK?" I asked him, unable to stand the silence anymore.

Edward finally swung his head in my direction and just looked at me, his eyes almost amused. I blushed. Stupid question.

I placed the kit on the counter, opening it and taking out some antiseptic cream and a cotton pad. I put the cream on the pad, and turned back to Edward, who was still looking at me.

I plucked up the courage to reach my arm out, and I tucked my hand under his chin, turning his head so that I could see his cheek better. His eyes closed at my touch. I made a face at the deep slice across his skin, which looked like it had been caused by some sort of ring that James might have been wearing.

"This will probably sting," I said, and applied the cotton pad to the cut.

"Ouch!" Edward exclaimed, jerking his head away.

"Hold still," I gave out impatiently, "it's only going to sting for a second -"

"It's not _stinging_, it's like you're sticking needles in my face -"

"Oh, don't be such a baby," I told him, rolling my eyes. I held the cotton pad to his face again; Edward winced, but held still, and after a while, his expression cleared. I dabbed at the cut gently and cleaned it up the best I could, but it still looked pretty bad.

I suddenly lost focus on what I was doing, when Edward looked straight into my eyes. My breath caught; I hadn't even realised how close I had been standing to him, my attention fixed on his wound. It was a second, before I could gather my thoughts.

"Thank you," I said quietly, gazing right back at him. "For saving me from James."

He nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off mine.

"I'm sorry," he said, "for not protecting you more."

"You did more than enough," I protested, but I could see he didn't agree with me.

"And… I'm sorry for everything else I did to you, Bella. The bet stopped mattering to me long ago, and I told Emmett he could keep his money. I don't want to see you hurt, and I can't believe I caused you it," he sighed, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips gently against my forehead. My eyes closed, and I realised that I could not find any hate, bitterness, resentment, or hurt in me now.

It seemed the stupid bet had stopped mattering to me too, compared to _this_.

"I don't want to see you hurt, either," I whispered.

Edward pulled back, but not a lot. He met my eyes again, and neither of us bothered to hesitate this time. I angled my head towards his, and waited for his lips to touch mine, which they did, soft and gentle. I kissed him slowly and carefully, remembering his busted lip, but the way he was kissing me, it didn't seem to bother him all that much. He wrapped his arms around me, and I locked mine around his neck, finally able to forgive him for what he did.

We eventually broke apart, but his lips trailed down my jaw towards my neck, reluctant to pull away completely.

"This is your last chance, Edward," I said breathlessly, unable to stop the grin on my face. "Either you treat me right from now on, or you can just forget it."

"Deal," he said, against my skin. "Bella Swan… I think I like you. Just a little."

"I think I like you too, Edward Cullen. Just a little."


	19. The Second Bet

_Helloooo. Nope, you guys, we ain't over yet. I had to cut this chapter in half, as it was getting too long. Hope you enjoy it!_

**Chapter Nineteen: The Second Bet**

**Bella**

"Edward, you have to hold still -"

"I don't want to," he grinned, kissing my wrist and totally distracting me from the job I was doing of cleaning the dried blood from his face. The job I was _trying_ to do, that was.

"You can't go around with blood all over you," I said, distracted by the way he was looking at me. I blushed.

"Listen to you nagging me already," Edward joked, "and we're not five minutes into this relationship."

I blushed again, but couldn't help smirking at little at the word _relationship_… because that's what this was, now. We hadn't even bothered to go through the routine of him asking me out and me saying yes or the other way around - we already knew what we were.

And there was no awkwardness anymore, or confusing questions, or wondering about possible hidden agendas… everything was out in the open between us now, and all our dirty laundry had been aired. There was nothing holding either of us back.

My head was finally clear. I could see exactly what I wanted, and I was taking it. There was no fear that I would regret this, no fear that I was just another game to be played… no fear. I could trust Edward now, because only an idiot wouldn't be able to see that he was being real with me, for the first time. And he was just as addicted to me as I was to him.

"Does your face hurt?" I asked, scrunching my own face up at all the cuts and scrapes and bruises. I didn't even want to imagine James attacking him the way he did; the thoughts were too frightening.

"Only because you keep stinging the hell out of it with that damn cream."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, you won't do it, and if I don't intervene you'll end up with scars."

Edward smirked, but kept his head still, letting me clean away most of the blood. I wished I could heal the wounds too. Even though the blood was gone it was clear that someone had beaten ten kinds of crap out of him.

"Lift up your shirt," I ordered, wanting to make sure there were no lacerations on his chest.

"Excuse me?" Edward asked, amused.

"Lift up your shirt, I want to see your chest."

"You're keen. And very forward, I might add."

I rolled my eyes again, and tried to keep the blushing at bay.

"Edward."

"Ooh, well if you insist," Edward chuckled, and lifted the hem of his shirt up high enough to expose his toned and muscled chest. My eyes widened and I clapped my hand to my mouth, and it wasn't because of his six pack. The dark and light purple bruises littering his skin were horrifyingly gaudy and vivid.

Edward stopped smiling. "It looks worse than it is, Bella," he promised, but I couldn't believe him.

"Oh, Edward, how could they do this to you?" I sniffed, starting to get upset. I hated violence. I hated to think how hard and how savagely James would have had to hit him to leave him in a state like this.

Edward let his shirt fall back, and wrapped me up in his arms. I clung to him cautiously, not wanting to cause him anymore discomfort.

"I'll be OK, Bells, don't worry about me," he assured me.

I just breathed in his scent, knowing that no matter what he said I would continue to worry about him, until every bruise had faded.

We were quiet for a moment, just holding on to each other. I think it was those kind of moments I had missed the most, when I had decided to let Edward go. I didn't know how long I would have stayed in my bitter and spiteful bubble, and I was glad cold, harsh reality had stepped in and reminded me that there was no use crying over something that happened in the past. Of course, I wasn't glad that Edward had gotten hurt… but it had brought us back together, and I was definitely glad about that.

He had me hooked from the very first moment, and there was no further point in denying it to myself.

"It's getting really late, you know," Edward said suddenly, sighing. "Maybe we should start heading back."

"OK," I agreed, pulling reluctantly out of his arms. "Are you going to be alright to drive that bike?"

Edward shrugged, and then immediately winced, and used his hand to try and soothe his obviously sore shoulder.

"No, you're not," I decided, answering my own question. "You're coming with me in my truck."

"But it's so _slow_ -"

"I don't care. You can't drive your bike in the state you're in, so we'll ask Gar if he can drop it to your house tomorrow," I said, and Edward gave in with a nod, looking amused again.

We left the bathroom and found Garrett talking to some policemen, so we hung around until finished their conversation.

"Every time I talk to the cops I always feel like I'm about to be arrested for something, even when I've done nothing wrong," Garrett said, grinning, joining us when the policemen finally left. "Are you guys headed home?"

"Yep," I said, smiling when Garrett pouted. "And we were wondering… I'm giving Edward a lift home in my truck, so is there any chance you could drive his bike to his place tomorrow or something?"

"Not a problem," Garrett said. "I know where you live," he said, winking at Edward.

"Ah, that's right, I forgot how you used to stalk me," Edward smirked.

"Yeah, thanks for lifting that restraining order you had against me, it really meant a lot," Garrett joked, and I laughed. "I'll drop it off tomorrow," he said, with a wave of his hand.

After saying our goodbyes to everyone, we left the bar and Edward climbed gingerly into the passenger seat of my truck. I watched his facial expressions as they scrunched up in pain and cleared as it passed, and I wished I could take some of the pain for him. I knew it was a corny thing to say and I never would have said it out loud… but I just hated seeing him like that.

He finally slammed the door shut and caught the look on my face.

"Don't worry," he insisted. "I'll be fine."

I just started the engine.

The journey was mostly the two of us sitting in a comfortable silence, Edward occasionally making jokes about the pace of my driving. I kept my eye on my watch, but eventually I had to accept I wasn't going to be home at a reasonable enough hour.

"I better give my dad a quick phone call," I muttered, pulling over.

"Can you tell him you're staying at a friend's tonight?" Edward asked, out of nowhere. "Please?"

"Sure," I replied, after a tiny pause. Of course I wanted to stay with him, but I just hadn't thought that I could.

I rang my dad and tentatively asked him could I stay at 'Rosalie's', and Charlie agreed, saying as long as I made it into school the next day it was fine. He told me he was going to bed, and I said goodnight, relieved.

"It's all OK," I said to Edward as I hung up the phone, and started the engine again.

"Cool," he said, and we exchanged a smile.

As we pulled into his driveway a while later, I noticed that it was only Edward's Volvo and Emmett's jeep parked outside.

"Are your parents ever at home?" I asked, hoping I wasn't being rude.

"Not really," Edward shrugged. "Dad's always on call and my mother needs to travel within her job sometimes. They're home at weekends, usually, but communication is mostly through the phone."

"Oh," was all I said, sensing the indifference in his tone. He was either so used to it that it didn't bother him anymore, or he was just pretending it never bothered him. I could tell it was a touchy subject, so I decided to not bring it up if it wasn't necessary.

Judging by the lights that were on in the house, Emmett was still up, and I felt a bit queasy at the thought of seeing him. I might have forgiven Edward, but I had yet to hear what Emmett had to say for himself.

Edward needed to lean on me slightly to get up the porch steps, and my heart almost broke. I wondered how many injuries he was hiding or downplaying simply because he didn't want me to worry or make a fuss?

The front door was open, so we just walked right in. It slammed a bit as it closed, and I heard footsteps, and my stomach twisted even more.

"Didn't think you'd be home at all tonight, bro -" Emmett began to say, walking in from the living room, and he stopped when he noticed me, and did a double take when he looked at Edward.

"Holy shit, Edward!" he exclaimed, rushing towards his brother. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"James beat him up," I answered, before Edward could say anything.

Emmett's face darkened. "I'll get him, no one touches my little brother…"

"There's no point getting worked up about it, Emmett," Edward said. "He's been sorted out already. Me and Gar saw to that."

"Good for him," Emmett snorted. "And where do you come into this?" he asked me, almost nervously. The idea that Emmett was nervous around me in case he got bitch-slapped popped into my head, and made me want to laugh.

"I was in the area," I shrugged.

"Ah," Emmett said, nodding to himself, now eyeing our intertwined hands. "And are you two now…?"

"Yep," Edward and I said at the same time.

"Oh. Cool." Emmett cleared his throat a few times, looking immensely awkward, before looking right at me.

"I'm so sorry, Bella, for what happened…" he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been feeling like shit over it all, and you should just know that we made that bet before we got to know you, and you're a decent and really sweet girl, and now that we know you we never would have done anything like this -"

"It's OK, Emmett," I interrupted, not feeling it necessary to hear anymore.

"Are you sure?" he said. "I don't like it when everyone is mad at me, it really sucks -"

"Well, I'm not mad at you anymore," I smiled. "So chill."

"Coolio," Emmett said, grinning back. "Thanks Bella, I know I don't deserve you being so nice to me." He wrapped me up in a bear hug, and nearly squeezed me to death. "So, what are we going to do with you, bro?" he added, turning to Edward. "Maybe we should call Dad…"

"No one is calling Dad," Edward insisted. "I'll be fine. I just want to get to bed right about now." He started shuffling towards the stairs, tugging at my hand.

"Are you staying?" Emmett asked me, walking with us.

"Yeah," I said, throwing Emmett a look to indicate now was not the time for any inappropriate jokes. He took the hint and let it go.

"Alright, cool. The gossip mill is going to go crazy tomorrow, bro, when you show up to school tomorrow."

"Like hell I'm going to school," Edward retorted.

"What?" Emmett and I said simultaneously.

"Well, I'm clearly sick," Edward said, and the way he said it made both of us laugh.

"Well, then, I'm not going either," Emmett decided joyously. "Edward is obviously contagious, so I have whatever he's got."

I laughed, but stopped when both guys looked at me expectantly.

"What…?" I said slowly.

"Come on, Bella!" Emmett boomed. "What ails you?!"

"What?"

"Surely you're not going to school tomorrow?" Edward said, pretending to be devastated. "Leaving me alone with him for the day?!" he exclaimed, jerking his thumb at Emmett.

"Hey!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," I replied, smiling with excitement as I thought of spending tomorrow with Edward. From now on all I was asking for from life was to just spend time with him. Put the past behind us and just move forward.

I coughed theatrically. "You know, I might be coming down with something…"

"Yay!" Emmett sang, sounding nothing other than perfectly healthy. "We're all sick. Too bad, no school!" He told us goodnight and went back downstairs, apparently to watch some more of his box sets. I followed Edward into his bedroom, which was just as untidy as it had been the last time I had been in there.

"They're all clean," Edward said, pointing to a pile of clothes on the floor. "If you want to borrow something to wear to bed…" I looked through them and found a pair of boxer shorts, deciding they would probably be way more comfortable than my jeans. I was just going to leave my hoodie on.

I slipped out to use the bathroom, grinning to myself at the toothbrushes on the sink which had 'Em' and 'Ed' scrawled on them in black marker. I borrowed Edward's, not being one of those people who found that gross, figuring he wouldn't mind.

I put the boxers on, finding they were a little big, but they worked just like shorts, and were comfortable. I padded barefoot down the hall back towards Edward's bedroom, and knocked softly before walking back in. The first thing I saw was Edward's bare back, and all the bruises and marks on it that could only be caused by kicks. I started to chew on my lip, my heart throbbing painfully. This shouldn't have happened to him.

Edward turned to face me, and grinned when he saw what I was wearing.

"Hey, Legs," he said, but I couldn't smile back; I was now looking at all the bruises on his chest and face.

He sighed, and walked over to me, tilting my head so I had to look into his eyes.

"Bella," he said. "Please stop looking at me as though there's an arrow sticking out of my head. I am _fine_. I've been beaten up before, and I always healed, good as new." I flinched a little at that thought, and he noticed, and shook his head at me.

"I just… can't understand why you _let_ them hurt you so badly," I said quietly. "You had to have felt _every_ kick, _every_ punch… did you fight back, or wait for them to stop?"

Edward looked like he didn't want to answer that question, but he did.

"I waited for them to stop. I lay on the ground and waited for them to stop."

"Why didn't you _fight_?" I asked, starting to feel upset. "Why?"

"I didn't see the point," Edward admitted, looking down.

This time, it was my turn to tilt his head up.

"There is always a point to fighting back," I said fiercely. "Always."

"I see one now," Edward replied, his green eyes blazing, and I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. He held me tightly, and it was a while before he broke my grip. "Come on," he said. "I don't know about you, but I really need to lie down."

I, of course, started fussing over him, asking if he needed ice packs or aspirin or anything like that. He agreed to an aspirin, telling me they were in his bedside drawer. I got him a glass of water, and he eased himself carefully onto the bed and under the covers, patting the space next to him.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" I asked, crawling onto the bed.

"Just you," he replied, grinning wolfishly, and I blushed. I climbed under the duvet and snuggled up to him, making sure I wasn't pressed against him too much, in case it aggravated his bruises. He put an arm around me, and we spent a few minutes kissing and cuddling, blocking almost everything else out of our heads.

"How do you feel now?" I asked after a while, wondering if the aspirin had started to work.

"A bit better," he said, burying his face in my hair. "I'd feel worse if you weren't here."

I suddenly thought of Edward, beaten up and alone, and I hated it. I felt the same thing I felt earlier… grateful we had been brought back together again.

"I'm not going anywhere any time soon," I assured him, resting my head against his shoulder and smiling contentedly. "You can bet on it."

There was a silence.

Edward snorted, dissolving into laughter, and I joined in, rolling my eyes.


	20. Important

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi everyone, I have a favour to ask. There is a fanfiction user by the name "Peters babe" plagiarising this story under the name "Love Game", it is copied word for word and she will not take it down. Obviously it has made me really angry because I loved writing this story, all I ask is that everyone please continue to show support for this story and the true author and to report her for plagiarising, nobody deserves to have their hard work stolen.

In return I shall give you a brand new chapter of this story over the weekend :)

The only reason I never came back to finish it was a) Life and b) I lost my notes. But I'll start from scratch, I don't mind. Anyone who helps me out will be hugely appreciated, and thank you to those who brought it to my attention.

Thanks again,

- CrystalBrooke

a.k.a. Lea x


	21. The Trust Issue

****_I never expected so much support, thank you all so much! The fake story is still up - please keep reporting until it is removed! I updated my profile with a few things to say about it! Also leave me reviews letting me know where you would like to see the story go or what you would like to see happen! Sorry if this chapter is proof of my rustiness, also. _

_And sorry it took so long._

**Chapter Twenty - The Trust Issue**

_Bella_

I woke up the next morning and couldn't immediately remember where I was. The room was still dark, but there were rays of grey light struggling to beam through the gaps in the curtains. I could tell it was very early, and I was wondering if I had enough time to fit in some more sleep before school when I noticed the cool tickle of air that was dancing along my arm. I turned my head; Edward was still sleeping, facing towards me, his breathing even and heavy. I couldn't make out his features in the dim, and I wondered how bad his cuts and bruises were now.

I lay there, thinking back on everything that had happened yesterday. It had been eventful, to say the least. James was probably going to jail, and now Edward and I were _together_.

I found myself remembering the first time I had met Edward Cullen; he was intriguing, mysterious, and a complete douche bag. If someone had told me that I would end up in a relationship with him, I would have laughed.

A _relationship_. It seemed like such a normal word, too normal to describe something as dysfunctional as us. The bet, which for me had been an immovable wedge between us, mattered little now. I had forgiven Edward, but I had to admit to myself that the hurt was still there. I had played with fire and I had been burnt, and it was hard to forget the sting. Considering Edward had let himself get beaten to a pulp because he felt so guilty, I wasn't going to throw it in his face.

Edward had said he wanted to take the day off school today and I didn't blame him. Everyone would stare and gossip and be concerned, and it was none of their business. As much as I wanted to stay here all day with him, I felt that I should go in. There were about a million texts and missed calls from Alice to see if I was okay, and I also needed to talk to Rosalie and clear the air. I loved my friends, and I wasn't prepared to ditch them just because I now had Edward. I knew I would feel better once I spoke to them.

I got out of the bed as quietly as I could, and managed to leave the room without disturbing Edward's sleep. I used the bathroom to get dressed again, and was surprised to find Emmett downstairs already, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Morning," he said with his mouth full.

"Hi," I smiled. "You're up early."

"I remembered last night that I actually have to go to school. Football tryouts were rescheduled for today. And I'd never miss an opportunity to take the piss out of Newton! How come you're up?"

"I should probably go to school too. I want to talk to the girls, and my dad might find out if I don't," I sighed, remembering my promise to him last night. Mostly he let me do as I pleased, but occasionally he liked to remind me he was a parent by checking up on me from time to time.

Emmett offered me breakfast, which I accepted, and we ate at the table in near silence, the only sounds coming from the crunching of our cereal. I still felt a bit awkward with Emmett. I know I had said last night that everything was fine, but I didn't want to make a fuss in front of Edward, and plus I didn't _want_ more tension and upset. I wanted us to all be friends, but it was easier to forgive then it was to forget. I didn't like the fact Emmett had used me, had kissed me with cruel intentions and made a joke out of me. But he had seemed sincere last night in his apology, so I resolved to give him a second chance.

I was giving out a lot of those.

Edward shuffled into the room then, interrupting my thoughts. Emmett lowered his bowl, from which he had been draining the last dregs of milk into his mouth, and his eyes widened.

I winced. Edward's bruises looked more horrific today than they had the night before. His black eye was a shiny blend of purples, his cut lip had scabbed, and there was a yellow tinge on his neck that I was sure was leading to another terrible bruise, but was mostly hidden by the large black hoodie he was wearing. He looked sullen and tired, and moved quite gingerly.

"Are you OK?" Emmett and I asked him at the same time.

"I'm fine," he said shortly. "I'm going to school."

"But you said last night -"

"I know, but I have assignments and homework to hand up, they are late enough as it is."

"I can hand them in for you," I offered, and he gave me his first smile of the day, though it was still a little strained.

"Thanks," he said, walking over to beside me and putting his arm around my waist. "But I can't really afford to miss anymore school. I have to be good," he sighed.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Emmett said.

Edward rolled his eyes.

* * *

Edward's appearance in school had sparked a record amount of rumours yet, most of which had been no doubt fuelled by Jessica Stanley. He had no interest in hearing about any of them, but some of the ones I had overheard in the cafeteria were a great source of amusement for me. My particular favourites were the rumours that he had started his own version of Fight Club, or the one that claimed _I_ had beaten him up. Apart from that one, all the theories made Edward seem a lot more badass than he really was, and they would probably be sorely disappointed if they learned about the real Edward Cullen.

A part of me felt really smug that they never would.

Although saving me from James even though he had already taken a savage beating was still pretty badass in my book. The original version of events was definitely the most interesting, and I felt smug that the gossips of this school and town would never hear about it either.

The rumours died down eventually over the passing weeks, as Edward's bruises faded and his cut lip was nothing but a thin red line. Everyone grew used to seeing me and Edward together, and though we were a topic of interest, the novelty of discussing us was wearing thin. I was grateful for this, as being the subject of attention and scrutiny had always made me feel uncomfortable.

Alice had come straight up to me when I pulled up to school with Edward the first day, and I wasted no time in apologising and filling her in on the whole story. I knew she never would have let me rest otherwise. She was amazed, but delighted that we were together, and after that was her usual bubbly and affectionate self around Edward too.

Jasper, also, happily accepted Edward into our group, but he couldn't resist teasing me with an "I told you so". I punched him in the arm, knowing that he had been right to worry and warn me not to trust Edward at the time, but none of that mattered now. I appreciated Jasper for looking out for me, and couldn't help but giggle with Alice as the two boys bonded over their fondness for their musical instruments.

I had been really hesitant to face Rosalie, mainly because I was unsure if she even wanted anything to do with me anymore. I _had_ kissed the guy she had been mad about for ages, and I hadn't told her. I felt guilty and ashamed as I approached her and burst out an apology, but she wasn't angry with me.

"It's okay, Bella," she said. "I was really angry at the time, and if I'm honest, hated your guts a little bit-"

I cringed.

"But look, you didn't mean to hurt me and I'm with Emmett now and he's mad about me so all's well that ends well," she said, with a confident toss of her long blonde hair. "I'm happy for you and Edward too," she added, and I smiled.

It had all gone better than I would have expected really. Everything resolved itself into a nice neat bundle with a bow on top. It made me feel slightly uneasy. Everything couldn't be perfect now. Life didn't work that way. You think something is one way but it could turn out to be another.

* * *

I wished my emotional wounds could have healed as fast as Edward's physical ones. Although I forgave him completely when it came to the bet, and I believed now that he was being himself and honest with me, I still found myself dwelling on the past. I hated myself for it, because I could see all the effort he was putting in to make me happy.

He would take me out at the weekend, either for a cosy date at the cinema where he would insist on buying the popcorn and leave one hand on my tingling thigh throughout the movie. Or he would take me up to Garrett's bar where we would watch street races whenever they took the chance, cheering on his friends.

We had no fear of James anymore. He and his friends had been arrested for what they had done to Edward, and once they had been put away, a lot of other people had come forward to build cases against them. Edward's father, Carlisle, had hired the best and most expensive lawyer he could find, to Edward's own surprise.

Edward hadn't wanted to involve his parents, but couldn't hide the bruises or lie away the concerned phone calls the teachers had made about his appearance. He'd been afraid of the reprimands, but all Carlisle did was ensure that James was to be punished to the highest extent of the law, and made Edward swear that he would stay out of trouble from now on.

"I would have bet on him murdering me and burying me in the backyard," Edward said, shaking his head and stretching out on his bed. I was over at his house visiting after school, and he had been filling me in on his conversation with Carlisle.

"Well, you haven't had the best experience with bets now, Edward," I couldn't help teasing. He rolled his eyes, and lunged for me. I squealed and tried to scramble away from him, but he was too strong, and began to tickle me mercilessly.

"Stop! Don't!" I gasped, my abs killing me from laughing.

Edward dragged me onto his lap, sniggering.

"Say you are sorry!" he smirked.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," I laughed, and he finally stopped tickling me. I tried to catch my breath, giddy, when he kissed me, and I rearranged myself in his lap so that I could press closer to him. We were still sharing a breathless kind of kiss when Carlisle entered the room without warning.

I sprang away from Edward and at the same time, he pushed me; I lost my balance and with a loud bang ended up on the floor. Edward crossed his legs hurriedly and tried to look as innocent as he could with lip-gloss smeared on his face.

And that was how I met Edward's dad.

Carlisle pretended like he hadn't seen anything, and after I scrambled clumsily to my feet, beetroot red, he shook my hand. I was nervous and embarrassed but he was kind and seemed to approve of me. He asked that I stay for dinner, and reminded Edward of his promise to study.

We spent the rest of the evening studying Biology and sometimes taking little breaks to make out. It had been a wonderful afternoon, but then things started to change.

True to his word, Edward had begun to study hard and catch up in school. His teachers couldn't get over their delight of his neatly written homework and new studious attitude, and it reflected in their "I told you so" smirk as they handed back his papers with giant red As on them, and comments saying "keep it up!" and "look what you can do when you try!"

I expected Edward to get a big head about it all, but he just kept his head down and worked. He didn't talk to me during class like he used to, unless it was to ask a question about the lesson, but he would hold my hand or play footsie with me under the desk. I guessed that he was further behind than he was letting on, so I tried not to distract him. Of course I wanted him to do well. I myself was able to concentrate in class more, no longer distracted by Edward Cullen and his intriguing, infuriating ways. I smiled to myself as I remembered how different things used to be.

After school I usually went around to Alice's or Rosalie and Jasper's, or they came back to mine, as Edward always studied after school. For hours. I could tell most days that he wanted to just ditch with me, but he always forced himself to do the time, kissing me apologetically and promising to text.

I drove myself crazy sometimes though, wondering if he was _really_ studying. I didn't think I'd be physically able to study that much, even if I was really far behind. I would probably procrastinate and waste the time panicking about how much I had to do and end up not doing anything at all. Although that was just me; maybe Edward actually was capable of taking in huge amounts of information at one time, and if so he was lucky. I wanted to kill him for having brains and not bothering to use them, because I would have loved to have been an above average student.

I could usually talk sense into myself, but there was a small nagging part of me now that I couldn't ever seem to silence. What if he wasn't studying? What if he had jumped on his bike and drove up to Port Angeles and was drinking and hanging out with Tanya? Or some other ex, one of the "trail" of girls Garrett joked about.

I now lived in fear of being lied to. It wasn't fun.

As a result, I was constantly texting him. After letting him study most of the day, I would casually ask what he was up to. It must have started to grate on his nerves, because it was every day, but he always replied in a good mood and sometimes rang me back, and I felt better when all I could hear was classical music in the background, rather than roaring engines or Tanya's stupid accent.

I wondered why he was putting up with my slightly erratic behaviour -constant texts, constant pressings for details at lunch about his evenings - but I guessed that maybe he felt he still had to make things up to me. He didn't. He apologised. He told the truth. He promised no more lies. This was all me, this was all in my head and it was my issues, and I knew I had to deal with them.

Although it was easier said than done.

On a Friday evening, after a whole week of Edward studying like a maniac and being withdrawn and moody, I was beginning to seriously panic. He had gone home himself like usual, leaving me with a distracted kiss and a bad feeling. No matter how much I tried to talk myself into the fact that he was _just_ studying, just _tired_ from working, I couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't telling me something.

"Bella, what's up?" Alice asked me for the third time. We were hanging out in her room today; Jasper in his usual seat on the pink beanbag chair, twirling his harmonica between his fingers; Rosalie sitting at the vanity table, practising eye makeup and texting Emmett; Alice sprawled on the bed half-reading gossip magazines and painting her nails. I was sitting on the floor leaning against Jasper's beanbag, staring into space and chewing my lip.

I opened my mouth to say "nothing", for the third time, but "Hmm" was all that ended up coming out.

"What?"

I sighed, tossing the book that I was definitely not reading to the side.

"I don't know," I admitted, and Alice and Rosalie looked up from what they were doing. I had my back to Jasper, but I knew he was paying attention too.

"There has to be something wrong, you haven't been quite right all day," Alice prompted. I couldn't slip anything past her, she was so observant. Or maybe I was just too easy to read. I suddenly feared that Edward was picking up on my mood too, and that had been what was wrong with him earlier.

"I just…" I trailed off, struggling to find words to express how I was feeling. "I'm… worried. About Edward."

"Worried about what?" Alice frowned. My friends had accepted Edward into the group like one of their own, but due to Edward's constant studying they hadn't all gotten to know each other as well as I would have liked. I didn't want to say too much to tarnish their image of him, especially since they were all giving him a chance for my sake.

"He's just… oh, I don't know!" I snapped, feeling frustrated beyond belief. "He is working all the time, and that's great, he should catch up in school because God knows he missed enough of it, but I've barely gotten to see him this week and how do I know he's not…" I let myself trail off, hating the silence that followed and hating myself and my feelings and hating the fact I couldn't just _trust_ in what I knew.

"You are afraid he's slacking off to do other things that don't include spending time with you?" Rosalie asked shrewdly.

I shrugged, starting to feel upset. I wished I hadn't said anything. I had made myself look like a selfish, whiny bitch.

"Bella, I don't blame you for being worried," Jasper said, and I turned to look at him. "For lots of the time that you knew him he was absent from school and would suddenly show up with no explanation of what he was doing that whole time, and then you found out he had been using you for a bet… he wasn't that trustworthy to begin with, but you didn't expect _that_ from him… you are just trying to protect yourself now."

I processed this. "I shouldn't be doubting him though. He said he was sorry for all that and was a different person then and that he was unhappy and he took it out on other people. He is making up for it. Why can't I just trust what he says now?"

"Because trust needs to be earned," Jasper said. "And he needs to earn it big time."

"He is mad about you, Bella," Alice began to reassure me.

"Why don't we just ask Emmett what Edward is doing," Rosalie interrupted, picking her phone back up.

"No," I said in alarm.

"Bella, you are being ridiculous. You ask Edward what he is doing and he tells you, yet it's not enough for you. But I get that when trust is broken, yadda yadda. I felt a bit like that with Emmett after -" she broke off, and I winced a bit; neither of us wanted to bring up the whole me-and-Emmett fiasco again. "But then I remembered he was with me so that must count for something," she continued. "Edward is with you now and he wouldn't be going out with you if he didn't care about you."

I felt slightly chastised, but also a bit better. I knew myself that I was being ridiculous, but Rosalie's blunt words had helped me too. I just had to put my trust in Edward no matter what, because he was with me, and I knew deep down that he wouldn't knowingly hurt me again.

"We'll see what Emmett says anyway," Rosalie said, snapping me out of my little epiphany.

"_What_?" I spluttered, alarmed again. "You texted him?! What did you say?"

"I said _Bella wants to know is Edward really studying, she is having major trust issues_."

"_Rosalie_!"

"Oh Bella, relax! This is what you wanted to know right?!"

"What if he tells Edward?" I fretted, stricken. Edward knowing how I felt was the _last_ thing I wanted.

"He won't, why would he?"

I didn't answer that, and nervously waited for Rosalie's phone to beep. Jasper played a few random notes on his harmonica, and Alice started spouting reassurances at me and telling me that once Edward had caught up on all his school work that he would probably shower me with attention to make up for it… I tuned her out. I didn't want attention from Edward. I just wanted these horrible, ambivalent feelings I had about him to go away. I didn't know where they had come from, because I had been so happy when Edward and I had gotten together, and I didn't want us to be apart again.

I had a sudden, startling thought.

Did I _love_ him?

Was I in love with him, after everything? Was I just scared because I didn't know if he loved me too? Was I afraid of him lying to me now because it would hurt so much worse the second time?

I anxiously probed my feelings, unsure of anything any more.


End file.
